The Bachelor
by Shadowhunter5801
Summary: Clary and Jace have been best friends forever, so when Jace is chosen as the Bachelor, he asks Clary if she will be a bachelorette to come with him. As his best friend and spy. But the game changes for Clary when she realizes she has more than freindly feelings for Jace. Will she tell him, and really enter the competition? Will sparks fly, or will love die?
1. Suit and Tie

**Chapter 1**

I sat in the limo as it drove down the lamp-lit road. Various girls screamed and chattered around me. My ears caught snippets like "He's so hot." or "I would do Jace Wayland any day." but I wasn't a part of the fan girl club. My phone buzzed in my pocket.

_Jace:_

_Are you ready to be a bachelorette?_

I huffed and rolled my eyes. Some best friend. He knew I hated the label.

_Clary:_

_Why do you want me here anyways? Its not like I'm going to 'vie for the heart' of my best friend._

_Jace:_

_I've already explained! I just want you here as one, my best friend (even though none of the other girls would know), and I need an inside spy. You've been by best friend since, what, birth? You owe me for sticking with you this long._

I raised my eyebrows at the last text, letting out a soft chuckle. Yeah, right, owed him.

_Clary:_

_Riiiiight. I owe you. Suure. It's not like I'm leaving my entire life in New York behind to fly to LA and act like I'm finding love for an ultimate goal of what? Acclaiming 'spy status' in your eyes?_

_Jace:_

_Exactly :) Love ya, Fray! See you soon! Gotta go! Remember, we've never met!_

_Clary:_

_Yeah, yeah. Love ya too, Wayland._

I put my phone on sleep and slipped it back into my purse, the girls around me unaware of my conversation with the man that they would soon be competing to marry. Yes, I flew all the way to California so that I could fake date the guy that's been my best friend since, well... birth (literally, our parents were friends, and we were born about a month apart).

He had made the compelling argument that I would go crazy with no one to play Dead or Alive with. I had countered that Simon would play me, to which he shot back that Simon would be too wrapped up in Izzy. So here I am.

"Hey," The girl that sat next to me poked me on the shoulder, and I turned from looking out the window to face her. She had an Asian build, with an angular face, brown eyes, and hair as black as Isabelle's.

"I'm Aline," she continued, "What's your name?" I plastered on a smile, hoping to god that she wasn't like the other squealing girls in the car.

"I'm Clary." I shook her outstretched hand, and shook it. She leaned closer to whisper in my ear.

"Is it just me, or do some of those girls seem a little... psycho?" she asked, turning my fake smile into a real one.

"No," I whispered back, "It's not just you, I feel like my ears are gonna blast at any moment."

"I swear to god, if I have to hear _Ohmigod, Jace Wayland without his shirt on is, like, heaven_ one more time, I'll kill someone!" She turned away from me to glare at the others.

As if on cue, one of the girls shouted, "Ohmigod, Jace Wayland without his shirt on is, like, heaven!" Aline and I turned to each other and burst out laughing. I wondered if what the other limos were like, along with the girls in them, seeing as I had only been in this one.

The limo slowed to a stop, and Aline subconsciously gripped my shoulder. I could tell that, even though she may deny it, she was just as nervous as the rest of the girls. My heart pounded in my chest, but not for the same reason as everyone else. I wasn't anticipating meeting Jace, I was terrified that I would be on national TV.

I know we had done the interview, but this was different. From the second I stepped out of the limo on, the cameras would be everywhere. They would see me relax, draw, eat, hell, for all I know, they could be watching me sleep, too.

I hush had fallen over us all, and I found myself holding onto Aline. Suddenly, a voice crackled over the speakers.

"Kailie Blue, you're up." it announced, and Kailie (I'm assuming) stepped out of the door as it opened for her. The rest of us found ourselves staring at the window.

"That's _him_!" Some whisper-yelled, as if he would actually be able to hear them if they spoke too loud. I didn't see anything too impressive. I just saw my best friend. Blonde, curly hair, piercing golden eyes, tall, muscular build. But something _felt_ different, because when I looked at him, I felt a weird fluttering deep inside me, and my breath caught.

Wait, _fluttering?!_ What the hell was wrong with me? I glanced around, as if I could somehow spot the source of that weird feeling, then shook my head, dismissing it quickly. I resumed trying to asses him, but it was hard, seeing as Kailie blocked most of my view, and all I could see was his head. I sighed and sat down, turning my back on the window.

Soon, Kailie's turn was up, and, one by one, the girls went out, until I was the last one left. I had also been told that I was the last one of the night, so, therefore, I was the closing impression. I was sure my jackass of a friend planned it, but there was nothing I could do.

"Clary Fray." The voice cued, and I took a deep breath, I was ready. The door opened, and I stepped unsteadily onto the pavement, trying to move gracefully in my current attire. It was hard, seeing as I had only worn a dress and heels a total of about six times in my 22 year life.

The second I saw Jace, my eyes grew wide. Just like I never wore a dress, he never wore a suit. And he. Looked. Good. I bit my lip as my eyes met his, only to find him with the same expression as me.

"Wow." I swear I heard him say. I walked forwards slowly, the soft breeze blowing the silky fabric of the dress. I finally came to a stop in front of Jace, my forehead only meeting his eyes. At least it was an improvement from only meeting his nose.

"I'm Jace," he used the tone that he always used on girls that he wanted to get in bed (For the benefit of the camera, I'm assuming), but his words still cascaded over me, making me shiver. _Wait, what the holy hell? Did someone slip something into my drink? Why was he all of a sudden having such an effect on me?_ I brushed it off yet again.

"Clary, Clary Fray," I smiled up at him. The realization that the other girls had done something extra seemed to strike us both at the same time. I hadn't planned anything, seeing as it was _Jace_ I was "meeting", but now I realized that we couldn't have our usual banter, knowing we weren't supposed to have even met in passing before. I took the opportunity to scan him one more time, and that was when my eyes caught on it. His damn tie was messed up.

"You don't wear suits much, do you?" I asked, knowing the answer full and well.

"Uh, no." He looked confused, "Why?"

"Tilt your head up," I commanded, and he did so without complaint. I stepped closer, undoing the tie, then redoing the knot the correct way.

"Thanks, Fr- Clary." He grinned sheepishly at the almost slip-up.

"No problem." I assured him, voice surprisingly softer than my usual tone, "Am I the last one."

"Yep." his lips fell into the guarded smirk that everyone, except for his true friends, was used to, "Shall we go inside?" His voice returned to the goofy tone that was reserved for the people he was close to.

"We shall!" I replied, smiling like an idiot. We started towards the mansion. He pressed his hand into the small of my back, and I know it was only to guide me, but it seemed to twist my insides. My steps faltered as I realized what was happening to me. _I had a freaking crush on my best friend._

**I hope you guys like the first chapter! No, before you ask, Aline is not horrible in the story. I have a question for all of you Mortal Instruments followers:**

**What would you change about TMI (the movie) if you could? **

**PS: As for the Clace part... well we'll just have to see what happens! :) Until next time!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	2. I Gotta Feelin'

**Hey! I'm back! So, I want to thank _all_ of my reviewers: bookfannie, IloveGoodBooks (Don't we all? :D), gottalovetheboywiththebread, Mollytamale, OneoftheNephilim, and all of the guests!**

**OneoftheNephilim: I don't plan on bailing any time soon :)**

**Mollytamale: I'm so glad this is different, it's what I was aiming for! I wanted a bachelor fic, but I wanted it to be... unique :D**

**Guest: I will torture you guys with the Clace wait for _as long as possible_, don't worry about that. *evil laugh* And, the thing about Jace's POV will be at the bottom! **

**IloveGoodBooks: I know what you mean! You never want to watch the movie with me, because I'm screaming at everything they do wrong, and, I will admit, I _have _thrown various objects at the screen... :P**

**Other Guests: I'm so happy you like it, and I will definitely continue**

**bookfannie: Of _COURSE _:D**

Jace and I walked into the reception room to be met with a chorus of squeals and cheers. None of them were for me, of course. Within seconds, I lost my friend in the mob of people attempting to get close and hug him or just be near him.

I simply rolled my eyes and stepped back, not wanting to be involved and/or trampled. I grabbed a clean glass, filling it with champagne, then sat down on one of the couches. By this time, some of the girls had returned, but Jace and the rest of his posse were nowhere to be seen. Aline sat beside me, pulling another contestant behind her.

"Helen, this is Clary." Aline introduced the two of us, "Clary, this is Helen. She's cool. I promise." I smiled, and stuck my hand out to the new addition to what I guess would be our little 'group'. She took it, shaking softly, but not really saying anything. I quickly scanned her. She was platinum blonde with a pair of ice blue eyes, and she was also very tall. Then again, everyone seems tall to the girl that reaches a terrifying 5'1".

"Hey," I decided to start the conversation, then I remembered what I'd actually come for, my duty to Jace, "So, how is Jace?" "He's really..." Helen seemed to search her mind for the right term, and I'm assuming she was trying not to be rude, seeing as there were cameras everywhere.

"Cocky?" Aline supplied, "Player-ish?" I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me, and the chuckle soon turned to a laughing fit. Soon, the two that I now considered my only friends here, joined in.

"I promise. He gets better." I assured them, "You just have to get to know him." Aline turned to me.

"Please tell me that you aren't one of _those_ girls in disguise." I laughed again.

"No." I elbowed her lightly, "_No_. I'm just saying, he really did seem like a nice guy, you just have to remember this is sudden for him too. He's just as scared as the rest of us. I mean, you don't exactly practice having 20 girls throw themselves at you." The two stared at me, speechless.

"Damn, Clary. Are you a counselor or something" Helen said, eyes wide, "If you're not, you should be." Before I had the chance to reply, the girls' faces changed. They were on the small couch across from mine, so they obviously saw something behind me. Finally, I realized what- or more accurately who- it was as he sat down beside me.

"Hey, girls, how are you?" Jace asked, flashing his charming smile. Cue the _stupid freaking butterflies._

"We're great!" I was the first one to reply, "This is Aline, and this is Helen." I motioned to each of them respectively, and Jace stood up, giving them hugs like the gentleman he never was or would be again (I guaranteed it). He turned to me.

"Sorry, I have to ask, but you are..?" I saw the joking glint in his golden eyes, and I rolled my own emerald ones.

"Clary, Clary Fray." I told him, sticking out a hand, "And my first piece of advice to you, remember your contestants' names." He smiled, and this time, it wasn't his _charmer_ smile. It was his real smile, and instead of butterflies, I felt fireworks.

But this time, it wasn't so foreign, almost like a background emotion. It was right then that I knew that no matter what happened, no matter what I felt, this man in front of me was still my best friend. Still _Jace Wayland._ I was reassured of that fact when he pushed my hand aside, enveloping me in his arms, not caring that there might be cameras watching. I wrapped my own arms around his neck, knowing, just by his posture and how tight he held me, that he needed me right now.

"You okay?" I whispered, stroking his back comfortingly.

"No." He said softly, "I'm scared."

"Say you want one on one time with me."

"One on one time?" 

"Yes, just take me... out by the pool."

"You watch this show too much, Clare."

We laughed, separating. Between us, we'd learned to have extremely fast conversations, so the whole thing must have only taken about five seconds.

"Clary, how about I take you out by the pool, you know, to make up for the name thing." He acted like he was sheepish, but I knew Jace, and, if I didn't agree, he would most likely throw me over his shoulder and carry me out against my will.

"That would be great." I linked my arm in the one that he offered me. We walked out and I glanced over me shoulder to see Aline making a heart with her hands. I shook my head, stepping into the cool air, then letting the door swing shut behind us. The second it was closed, my feet left the ground, and I was up in Jace's arms.

"What the _hell_, Wayland?!" I exclaimed, slapping him lightly on the chest.

"You were too slow in those heels." He shrugged. I looped my arms around his neck, letting my head rest against his chest and enjoying the gentle rocking his steps brought. I allowed my eyelids to droop down, only now realizing how stressful and exhausting the day really was. I was so tired that I barely felt Jace lay me down on the patio couch, lift up my head, sit down, then rest my head on his lap. I let out a deep breath, snaking my arms around his waist and snuggling into him.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Fray." He whispered, but the way he was stroking my hair was _not_ helping me stay awake. Or deny the feelings I was developing for him. I groaned in protest, but reluctantly rose to a sitting position. I tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes, much to my best friend's amusement.

"Can it, Goldilocks." I threatened halfheartedly.

"Well, I wouldn't insult the person who smuggled in a certain energy drink for you..." I perked up at his words.

"Red Bull?!" I asked excitedly, and he chuckled, handing me the slim can. I opened it and chugged it all without even breathing. With some more energy in me, I was able to think clearly. I took Jace's hand in my own, rubbing comforting circles on his palm.

"What's wrong?" I asked him softly, looking into his eyes, which were wide and vulnerable.

"I don't know how to do this." He started, "I don't know how to choose, I don't know how to know which girl is right. I mean, what if my soul mate is here and I send her home the first week." I internally cringed. He was talking to me about the girl he would _marry, _and I wasn't even in the running. He didn't even know how I felt. Hell, I hadn't known how I felt until today. I was snapped from my thoughts by the feeling of Jace's hand on my face.

"I'm scared, Clare." he whispered, and I gulped. His thumb stroked my cheekbone gently, and the breath seemed to leave my lungs. Jace had never done this before. I mean, we had done so many things, including sleeping in the same bed (without cuddling, of course), but nothing had ever been this... intimate. And I had absolutely _no_ idea what he was thinking, whether or not this was platonic to him or not. Major problem? I think so.

For a few seconds, we just stayed like that, him stroking my cheek, me feeling his breath on my lips. Then, at the same time, we both slowly eased back, resuming our seated positions on the couch. Suddenly, Jace noticed something. I could tell by the way the look in his eyes changed.

"So _this_ is where I'm supposed to give out the first impression rose." He voiced his thoughts. For a second, I stared at him, stupefied, then, I burst out laughing. I laughed so hard that I had to lean against Jace to keep from falling over.

"You're... the bachelor... and you didn't... even... know where... to give out the first impression rose." I said where I could fit the words in.

"Shut up." he shoved me lightly, and my laugh died down. All of a sudden, I spotted something coming towards us.

"Cameras." I hissed in warning, and Jace just smirked. He lifted the delicate red rose into his hand, examining it. The cameras had stopped now, and were trained on us.

"Clary Fray." He turned to me, and I quirked my eyebrows (Yes, plural, because I am physically incapable of raising only one) in question. What the hell was he about to do.

"Will you accept this rose?" He finished, a soft, real smile on his face. My heart filled with joy, and I suddenly understood the way the girls on previous seasons. It just made me feel... giddy. He had picked _me_. I mean, I know he was my best friend, and he probably only picked me because he couldn't choose anyone else, but he still picked _me_!

"Yes." I replied in an equally gentle tone keeping my emotions in check, save for the giant smile on my face. He placed the rose in my hand, and I wrapped my arms around him for the millionth time tonight. "Thank you." I whispered softly into his ear. He squeezed me tighter in reply, and that was all I needed.

**Okay, first off, I hope you like it. Second, there **_**is no Clace yet!**_** That was not them getting together, just an awkward moment. Third, instead of leaving answers to questions in the review...**

**If I get at least ten reviews saying that they want Jace's POV by Sunday, I **_**will**_** do a Jace POV on the last two chapters instead of a new chappie! Okay, well, Adios, my faithful followers! (and yes, if you've read my other fics, you know that I always have, and always will, call/called you **_**my faithfuls! **_**;) )**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	3. One More NIght

**Hey y'all! I _finally _had time to write! I want to take the time to thank all of my reviewers: eileenaileen, sam, LOVERGIRL, Sharvey, Nkiing, MusicGirl9524, Mollytamale, combatbootchic12, and guests!**

**Sharvey: Totally agree, and I see that now! I hope this will keep you going! :D**

**Guest: I won't rush Clace, and I love the ideas, especially the step up one**

**nkiing: I don't want this to be the _average_ tv show fic!**

**MusicGirl9642: I'm glad it's _amaze balls!_ And I love the boat idea! Totally using that!**

My eyes fluttered open to the tapping of something on the window. For a second, I stared at the ceiling, then stretched out my arm. I pulled myself up into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. The glowing clock in the corner of my room caught my eye. 3:14.

What the hell was up at 3 in the morning. No freaking bird or squirrel could be this psychotic. I groaned, rolling- resentfully, might I add- to my feet. The cold hardwood floor sent shockwaves up my bare feet as I dragged myself to the window. I jerked open my curtains not to find an annoying animal (well not a small one at least), but Jace perched on the windowsill.

I pulled the window up, tightening the blanket I held around my shoulders as a blast of morning air gusted into the room.

"Well, you took your time." Jace stated, jumping inside when I stepped out of his way. He closed and locked the window behind him, and it was then, as I saw the muscles in his back, that I realized he was shirtless.

"What the hell is _wrong _with you?!" I hissed through gritted teeth, removing the blanket from my body and wrapping it around his, "You could've gotten sick." He rolled his eyes.

"You sound like Mom." he grumbled, but with a smile on his face. I glared at him.

"Why are you in my room at _three in the freaking morning?!_" I whisper-yelled, "You're just so lucky that they decided to try letting all of the girls have their own rooms this season, because I have a feeling a few questions would come up if there were more girls than me in here." Jace looked down, biting his lip and shifting from side to side, all signs of joking gone.

"I don't know how to do this, Clare-bear." He said softly, now looking up at me through long eyelashes. I jumped into my bed and patted the area beside me. He slipped under the covers by my side, the both of us leaning against the wall. I knew that right now, all he needed was silence, some time to think.

What I didn't expect was him to pull me into his lap and bury his head in my neck. To be honest, this wasn't the first time we'd been in this position, but it was the first time since I realized what I felt for him. It was even stranger that it didn't feel different though. I returned the hug, pulling back after what seemed like a few minutes.

"Look at me." I told him, and when he didn't, I pushed his chin up so that his golden eyes met mine, "You are Jace Wayland. As in _the _Jace Wayland that all of the girls here are fighting for. Just be _you_. I'm not saying to tell them everything. I'm not saying to act like you do around me, Izzy, Si, Mags, Alec, Maia, Jordan, or Max. I'm just saying to do what comes natural. Don't freak out, just act like it's a normal day." His lips now once again curved up into a small smile.

"God, you're amazing." he whispered, and I blushed, "I don't know how I could do this without my best friend here." My heart broke a little bit at that part. It was so hard telling _myself_ that he only thought of me as a friend, but it hurt ten times worse when he called it out. I shook it off quickly, putting on my brave face for him.

"Now here's what you're gonna do." I gripped his shoulders, "You're going to get up tomorrow morning, and show America what you've _got_. But _first_, you're gonna get your ass to sleep. It's now... 3:30 in the freaking morning, and I, personally, have no interest in dealing with a sleep deprived you. So go to bed." I expected him to move, but he didn't, he just stood there, staring at his feet and shifting uncomfortably.

"Uh... Clare." he seemed nervous and a little embarrassed, two traits that never possessed him, "c-can I stay with you tonight, I don't want to be alone." I had a startling flashback to when the two of us were five, and a much younger, more scared Jace had asked the exact same thing.

"Of course," I replied, automatically grabbing his hand and dragging him to the bed. He lied down, and it was only then that I wondered how the two of us would fit on the small bed. Before I could contemplate any solutions, Jace reached out, grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me into the bed. We lie side by side for a second, half of me hanging off the bed. Jace looked over and noticed.

Without a word, he scooted against the wall, opening his arms invitingly. For a minute, I actually did consider staying on the edge, but I came to the conclusion that I could control myself (even in Jace's arms), and not risk falling and breaking my neck in my slumber. I scooted closer, but was barely over his forearms. I pulled the blanket up over my cold skin, realizing that, for some reason, the mansion's air conditioner was cranked on high.

I tried falling asleep to no avail, starting to shiver a bit. Okay, I was shivering a lot, as in shaking the bed shivering. So, with this fact, it wasn't a surprise when Jace cracked open a golden eye.

"You cold?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded, not even having the strength to lie or joke. Not skipping a beat, he gathered me into his chest, arms tight around my small frame. I stopped breathing. Literally. As I said before, Jace and I had slept in the same bed, but never _cuddled_, so this was all new territory to me.

After a little bit of silence, I returned the embrace, slipping my arms around his bare torso. The heat of his skin immediately warmed me, and I sighed. I hadn't realized how loud it was until Jace's chuckle broke the quiet.

"Someone likes cuddling." He mumbled into my hair. I was thankful for our height difference as I buried my flaming face into the pillow, mumbling an unintelligible answer.

"Night Goldilocks." I said loud enough for him to hear.

"Sleep tight, Chili Pepper." he replied, and I swear I felt his lips press against the top of his head. I wrote it off as wishful thinking, but still burrowed into him. I fell asleep to the feel of him stroking my hair.

I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly to get the sleep out of them. I was about to wiggle out of the arm that weighed me to the bed, but Jace seemed to feel my movement, and he yanked me back to him.

"Morning, Fray." his breath was hot against my ear, and I noticed that his tone was lower, huskier. God, I don't think guys realized that morning voices were among the sexiest thing on the planet.

"Morning Jace." I flipped to face him, just now realizing that we had been spooning. I had not remembered how small the bed was, though, and yelped as I began to fall. All of a sudden, I stopped in midair, and that had something to do with the hand that caught me by the hip.

Somehow, Jace's fingers had found a strip of bare skin between my top and boxers, and, by the look in his eyes, I could tell it wasn't an accident. He hauled me back up and securely against him, but he didn't remove his hand. Instead, his fingers began to make circles on my under my shirt.

"W- what are you d-doing?" I tried to keep my voice steady, I really did, but with Jace staring at me like that, and his hands on me, it was impossible. He arched an eyebrow, obviously spotting my discomfort.

"Well," he lowered his face, lips against my ear, "You've always said you didn't know why girls 'fell into my trap', what better way than to show you." I gulped as he, pulled back, pressing his nose and forehead to mine. "Am I doing a good job?" his voice was the low tone he used on girls he wanted to sleep with. I wanted to let his lips meet mine, but the competitive streak in me flared. I wasn't going to cave first. It took all my willpower, but somehow I slipped out of bed and landed on the floor.

"Eh, so-so." I replied, trying to act nonchalant. Jace followed me, standing once again, movements smooth and graceful.

"Really?" he sounded unconvinced, "No one says my methods are _so-so_." He began to advance on me, and, without thinking, I started to back away.

"I have a feeling," He was gaining on me with each step, "That you're _lying_ to me." At the word _lying_, my back hit the wall. Now, Jace towered over me, hands on the wall on either side of me. I restrained myself, keeping my fists clenched at my sides.

"So you really don't like this?" his breath feathered on my lips. I forced my mouth to remain in an unwavering smirk as I shook my head.

"But are you sure you don't like this?" I let my lips graze his cheek as I pulled back from his ear. His mouth formed a shocked "o", as he obviously didn't expect resistance, much less retaliation. He saw my satisfied expression, and realization took over his features.

"You _honestly_ think you can win?" He asked, hands moving to my hips, "at _this _game? My game?" A hand moved up, and I expected it to move my hair back, for him to give in, but he didn't.

"So you're gonna tell me that you don't want this?" he asked, lowering his head. His lips pressed against my shoulder. "You're gonna tell me that you don't like this?" His mouth shifted closer to my neck, then he kissed it again. "Tell," kiss, "me," kiss, "to stop." His mouth halted above mine, and I couldn't handle it anymore.

And then I woke up.

For _real_ this time.

**HAHAHA! I bet you all thought that was actual Clace :) I told you I wouldn't rush it, and am keeping my promise. All in due time, all in due time. Sorry, I know this isn't much of a chapter, but I **_**had **_**to get this idea out of my head, it was eating me alive! I promise the next chappie will be the second day/ some of the week. I got a lot of reviews saying not to write in Jace's POV cause it would ruin the suspense, and I agree, so no Jace chapters until the end. Sorry! I want to thank all of my followers and I also want to ask...**

**Who is your favorite Mortal Instruments couple of the following:**

**Jaia, Sizzy, or Malec?**

**Review or PM answers!**

**Goodbye my faithful followers!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	4. Hate On Me

**Still alive! Put down the pitchforks! I'm sooooo sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've had so many family things and school has been psychotic, so I haven't really gotten the chance to update. I know, I know, sucky excuse, but it's true. I was _going _to put the group date in here, but the chapter was already _really _long as it is, and maybe, just maybe, I'll stay up late to write the group date chapter tonight. I love you all, and I want to say THANK YOU to ALL of my reviewers. As for the last chapter's question... I'm dissapointed in you guys! MALEC ALL THE WAY HERE! **

I opened my eyes to see Jace's face hovering above mine, the light shining through his hair having almost a halo effect.

"Well someone was having a good dream." he said, and I sat up, pushing him out of the way.

"And why would you think that?" despite my increasingly reddening cheeks, I maintained a straight face and steady voice.

"Well, you were saying my name," Jace stated, head tilted to the side a bit, "Over and over and over..." He raised an eyebrow suggestively, and my jaw dropped, eyes growing wide. _There was no way, no way at a-_ My thoughts were caught off by my friend's booming laughter.

"You should have seen... the look... on your face." He managed in between fits. I let out a relieved breath, glad that I didn't sleep talk. I gulped, the full force of the dream hitting me as I remembered the feel of Jace's lips on me.

"Earth to Clare-bear," fingers snapped in front of my face and I jumped a bit, startled.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He raised an eyebrow. Again. Over the years I'd developed a theory that he raised his eyebrow (yes, one) so much because he _knew_ I couldn't. Back to the topic at hand...

"Uh, I-" my phone vibrated on the nightstand, and I lunged for it, thankful for the distraction. _Isabelle Lightwood_, I read the caller ID, and immediately checked out the window to see if pigs were flying. Izzy never got up on the weekdays before _noon_, so _six thirty_ on a _Sunday_. You can't blame me for being a bit freaked. I tentatively pressed the answer button.

"Hey, Clary!" So not only was she up, but she was chipper.

"It's six thirty." I stated as way of greeting. Hey, don't blame me, I was in a state of shock. A snort sounded through the other end.

"Yeah, I know." she replied, "But it's probably the only time I'll get to talk to you, seeing as at all other hours, they'll be cameras and or other girls around. Now put me on speaker!"

"Uh, why?"

"Because, I want to talk to the both of you."

"Must I again say, it's six thirty, I'm in my room, as are all other _sensible_ people."

"Yeah, but Jace isn't 'sensible'. Now put me on speaker, I know he's in there."

"Fine..."

I rolled my eyes at my friend's antics, but did as she asked.

"You're on." I said. _Who is it?_ Jace mouthed to me. _Izzy_ I mouthed back, but only earned a look of disbelief.

"Hey, Jace!" At least the girl had enough sense to whisper. Jace's eyes grew wide.

"It's six thirty." his words matched mine.

"God, it's like you two are the same person." I could _hear_ Isabelle rolling her eyes, "So, how's LA."

"It's awesome!" Jace and I replied in unison, then we looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Point made!" Izzy called from her side of the phone, "so, Clare, how are the girls?" I bit my lip, pondering on what I should say.

"Well, I met two nice ones, Aline and Helen." I decided to start out with the good ones, "The others are... an acquired taste. To... girly for me." Isabelle chuckled.

"Everyone's too girly for you, Fray." she retorted, "We grew up around guys, I mean, you and your brother, me and mine. We didn't stand a chance." It was at that moment that I realized how much I was going to miss home, my friends, my family.

"Hey, can I talk to Jace for a sec, ya know, off speaker?" Iz asked, and I handed the phone over without thinking. The time with some distance between Goldilocks and I allowed me to think about the one subject I hadn't dared venture into. My crush on Jace. As I thought, and I mean _really_ thought, about it, I realized that I actually had a crush on Jace for a long time, it wasn't recent. The only thing about it was that I'd figured it out recently.

_God, Clary, it would've been nice to have this breakthrough, ya know, two months ago _before_ Jace Wayland was chosen to be America's Bachelor_, I mentally scolded myself.

"Hey, Iz wants you on now." Jace nudged me with a foot pulling me from my thoughts. I took it, placing it against my ear.

"Hey Isa-"

"Have you made a move yet?" Her words cut off mine.

"What do you mean, made a move?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"I mean exactly what I said, _Made a move, _as in have you touched him, flirted with him, kissed him, maybe more..." she let the suggestive words hang.

"_What?!_" My voice came out shrill, causing Jace's head to snap towards me, a questioning look in his eyes. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, feebly waving a hand to dismiss his worries.

"You know what, Izzy," my voice lowered to a hiss, "Jace is _right there_. I mean _right there._ We are _not_ talking about this now."

"So you're not denying it anymore!" was Isabelle's squealed reply.

I let out an exasperated groan, "Bye, Iz!" I hung up the phone without another word, and Jace walked over to me. I could tell there was something he was dying to say.

"What is it?" I gave in.

"So... someone had a good dream." he restated his earlier theory, apparently not having forgotten about it.

"What are you talking about?" I was able to control my voice, but not the blush that crept up my neck. Goldie's jaw dropped.

"I was just kidding, Chili Pepper," he said, "but it seems I've hit a nerve." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up." I mumbled, and he laughed. "It's time to go downstairs." I stated, getting up and not looking back at the curious boy behind me, "I don't want you to get caught in here." All of a sudden, hands were on my hips, tugging me into a hard chest. Images from the dream flooded back to me, and I couldn't breathe.

"You're telling me about the dream later, Fray." His lips moved against the shell of my ear, breath sending goosebumps flying across my skin. These emotions were so weird, so foreign in regards to Jace. It was so odd, in fact, that I felt the urge to run my fingers across my arms, just to see if the tiny bumps were really there. Suddenly, I was colder than a second before, and it didn't take me long to realize that it was due to the absence of Jace's body heat. I spent on heel to find him already halfway out the window. I jogged over to him, wrapping my arms around his muscled frame without thinking.

"See you in a little bit." I whispered, then felt him return the hug and pull me close.

"Thank you, Clare," his words surprised me, given how rarely he spoke them, "You have no idea how much it means to me. I don't know if I could do it without you." He pulled back, and, if it was anyone other than Jace, I would have been scared they would fall, but my friend possessed an odd, cat-like grace that assured me that he would stay balanced on the trellis.

He brushed a piece of hair away from my face, scattering coherent thoughts. He leaned in, and I closed my eyes he pressed his lips to my forehead. My arms slid up so they were around his neck, and his fell around my waist. I had no idea what she was doing, and was doubtful he did either. We stayed like that for a while, and I soaked in the soft bliss. Too soon, he pulled away, not saying a word as he simply trailed a hand along my cheek, then clambered down down, leaving me staring out the window.

"Someone's in a chipper mood this morning." Aline stated as I bound down the stairs. Admittedly, after the… Room moment… I was feeling like I was on clouds.

"Just a normal day," I skipped (yes, _skipped_) over to where my two friends were sitting, "Ya know, sun shining, birds chirping." I sunk down into the couch beside them. Helen stared at me incredulously.

"You _are_ one of _them_." She said in disbelief, and I snapped out of my trance, forcing a laugh.

"I totally got you guys!" I snorted again, for real this time, and they joined in.

"Hey, you guys want to go for a swim?" I asked, suddenly remembering why I'd come down.

"Nah, we're fine here." Aline replied not looking up from her copy of Divergent. Helen raised an eyebrow at the raven-haired girl.

"Well, _you_ can stay," the blonde stood up with me, "but _I_ feel like a swim. I'm getting go with Clary. Aline lowered the book enough to give Helen puppy-dog eyes.

"Pwease stay with me." Aline pouted playfully, "I don't wanna be alone." I immediately saw the surrender in Helen's icy blue eyes, and rolled my own green ones.

"Go ahead." I'm nudged her with my elbow, and she plopped back down on the couch.

"I guess I'll just go," I placed a hand dramatically over my heart, "All alone. With no friends to laugh with and talk to…" Aline once again lowered her book, rolling her eyes at me.

"We'll be out in ten minutes tops. Promise." She assured me, and I smirked, backing to the door as the two turned their attention back to each other. I slowed a bit, watching the subtle touches exchange between the two. I narrowed my eyes. Was there something there, something I was missing? No, I quickly dispelled the thought, they were on a _dating_ show, for a _guy_.

I shook my head, clearing my mind as I stepped outside. The sun warmed my skin, which was a welcome change from the New York snow. I set my bag down, then stripped my shirt and shorts off, putting them inside the bag. I looked down, mentally approving the black bikini I had on. It hit me that if my hair got wet, I have to redo it, so I tugged my hair up into a bun. I stepped into the water, making my way closer to the other two girls Inn the pool. Kailie and Seelie were their names, at least I think they were.

I saw the two look at me, chatter, laugh, then gesture to me once again. They reminded me too much of those "popular gossip chicks" in high-school, so I treated them the same way.

"Is there's something you want to say to me?" I asked.

"No." Kailie answered, annoying smirk firmly in place.

"Well," I sighed, "if you're gonna a talk about me behind my back, you might as well just bent down and kiss my ass." A surge of pride shot through me when the smirks fell from Kailie and Seelie's faces.

"You wanna know what we were saying?" Seelie crossed her arms.

"Yes," I swam over so that I was inches from Kailie, "I do."

"Fine." I'll give her _some_ credit, the girl didn't back down, "We said that if it was up to us, you wouldn't be here."

"You're too…" Seelie fixed me with the distasteful look, "Short, scrawny."

"Redheaded, annoying." Kailie added.

"Too bad you don't own me." I shrugged, and, to my surprise, she just threw back her head and laughed. I raised my eyebrows.

"It's just that Jace will never keep you here." She replied to my silent question.

"I'll be here longer than you." I stated simply. Both girls were about to retort, but were cut off by someone else coming outside.

"WE HAVE A DATE CARD!" Aline announced as she approached, followed closely by the rest of the girls. Aline carefully tore open the envelope, pulling out the letter.

"Kailie," she read, and I wanted to wipe the smile off the girl in the card's face, "get your sunscreen, Jace." Kailie, Seelie, and a few others squealed. All but Kailie, Seelie, and I filed inside. Kailie waited until we were alone to begin swimming back, not bothering to face us as she spoke.

"Ah, this is gonna be so _fun_," I knew she was trying to make me jealous, "You can just tell he's good in be-" By this time, I had shot over to her, grabbed her shoulder, and spun her sharply around.

"Jace Wayland is not a _thing_." I hissed, "He's not some toy you can screw with and put back in the box. Treat. Him. Right." She simply smirked smugly at me.

"Too bad you don't own me."

And then she walked away.

**Sort of a filler chapter, I know, but I _had _to start the KailieSeelie/Clary rivalry. What do you guys think will happen? Will Clary tell Jace, will Kailie try and sleep with him? Will the date even turn out well, or could Kailie go home? Review, PM, or tweet me your predictions ( FanGirlWarCry)! Till next time!**

**-Shadowhunter5801 **


	5. Break Your Heart

**I'm back! This is the next chapter! No, it does not have Kailie and Jace's date, and yes, it ends with a depressed Clary. Now, for the reviews! IMPORTANT SENTECE addressing my update schedule: I will _try _to update once every one or two weeks, and it will be on the weekends. Also, I _hate _being mean and leaving you guys with a cliffie, or a depressed person (cause I know how it feels), so if I leave a cliffie, I will _usually_ update the next chapter later that day or the day after. I want to thank all my reviewers, and, to answer some questions... **

**Sorry guys, Kailie's staying for a while :/**

**And, to Lilletjet99 (if you haven't checked your PM box): Basically, the bachelor gets 20-27 girls to come on the show, and takes them around the world, eliminating two each week until he gets to the final two/three. When he chooses, he does not _have_ to marry the girl, but everyone usually wants it to end that way ;)**

For the entire day, I had many mental seizures. I was able to keep up the calm facade for Aline and Helen, who, true to their word, had come out and stayed with me for the rest of the day. I can honestly say that it made me feel a little bit better. At least it distracted me, keeping me from biting my nails to the beds.

I debated in my head whether or not to tell Jace what an evil bitch Kailie most likely was (judging by her earlier actions). I'd decided that my words would depend on his actions, so when he came back from the date happy, I couldn't bare to kill his mood. So I held my tongue. I know, Clary Fray holding her tongue? Weird, right. But I would go to the ends of the earth for Jace. It had always been that way, and I had a feeling it always would be. I just hoped him getting a wife wouldn't change that.

Deep down, I knew that Jace cared about me enough that if a girl had a problem with me, and tried to make him stop seeing me, he would end things with her, but he'd never _loved_ a girl, and if he _did_ fall in love, it scared me to death to think that he might choose her over me. Jace Wayland had my heart in his hands, and he didn't even know it. That. Sucked.

Anyways, ending my rant, it's been about three days since their date, and now, we were unsure which was gonna come next. Group date, or another single date. I wasn't worried or freaking out like the other girls, because I had nothing to worry about. I knew I wasn't going on a date, but I also knew I wasn't going home.

As of now, I sat on the couch my back against the arm, legs sprawled out over both Aline and Helen's laps. I was sipping a strawberry smoothie, reading this book about these people who are half demon, and basically have a certain sin that they have to influence other people to do. Or else their fathers (the Dukes) kill them.

I was completely immersed in the text, but was jerked from my imagination by Aline punching my thigh.

"_What?!_" I hissed, annoyed.

"You weren't paying attention." she shrugged, "As I was _trying_ to tell you, Gemma has the next date card. She's about to read it." Helen nodded enthusiastically, gesturing to the tall brunette that stood in the doorway of the large common room. I saw her ripping open the envelope, and rolled my eyes, immediately losing interest and returning to my book.

"Clary," a voice spoke my name, and my head snapped up, "Aline, Helen, Seelie, and Jess, get ready to sweat, Jace." I blinked, shocked. Finally, the words actually got through my thick soul, and my jaw dropped, a slight squeal escaping. Aline, Helen, Jess and Seelie wore wide smiles, but so did Kailie, Seelie, and their group. I had to say, this was one of the most perfect moments I've had in my life (despite the fact that Kailie and Seelie were happy).

"Well c'mon!" Helen pushed my feet to the floor, stood up, then yanked me to my feet, "We have to get ready!" She grabbed Aline's hand too, dragging us both behind as she sprinted up the stairs and to my room. Why it was my room, I had no idea. Helen threw open the door, and I half expected to see Jace spread out on my bed, but the room was empty.

"Why my room?" I voiced my question.

"Cause yours is the closest. Now Aline, here's my room key. Go get me some cute workout clothes, grab an outfit for yourself, and come back here. Oh! And bring our makeup kits." Helen ordered, and Aline complied, jogging out of the door.

"Sit." Helen commanded simply, pointing to my bed. I plopped down as she turned to my closet, rifling through the outfits as she tried to find something she deemed worthy to wear. I sighed sadly.

Normally, it would be Izzy and Magnus obsessing over my date outfit. Alec, Simon, Maia, and Jordan would pipe up their opinions when I came out and modeled it for them. Jace would be preoccupied with threatening the poor guy that decided to ask me out. A small laugh escaped my lips, causing Helen to turn around.

"What's so funny?" she asked. A small smile curled my lips.

"I just miss home," my tone was wistful, "I'm just imagining what my friends would be doing if they were here right now." Helen's expression now matched my own.

"I know what you mean," She shook her head, lips tipped up at the corners. Aline burst in at that moment, arms full, looking like she was about to topple from the weight of everything she was carrying.

"A little help would be nice!" she shouted, teetering unsteadily from side to side as she attempted to make her way to the bed. Helen and I both snapped out of our trances, jumping up and helping carry the things to set them down.

"Okay," Aline breathed, sitting down on the chair at the desk, "let's get to work." Helen threw some clothes at me, pulling me up once again, and shoving me into the bathroom.

"Change!" Aline's voice drifted through the door, and I put the outfit on. I examined myself in the mirror, and was surprised how good I looked. The exercise capris were the perfect balance between being fitted and not showing too much skin, and the green, fitted, tank top brought out my eyes. An impatient fist pounded on the door, and I rolled my eyes, stepping out. Aline smiled, clapping her hands.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed, then ushered me back into the bathroom, Helen following behind with a chair. Aline tugged my shoulders so that I fell back into the seat.

"Now, for makeup." she held up an eyeliner pencil, and I groaned.

45 minutes later, the three of us, Jess, and Seelie stood downstairs, awaiting Jace's arrival. I had gotten away with just some eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss due to lack of time after some profuse begging. Helen and Aline were dressed similarly to me, again due to lack of time.

Now, it was currently 9:15. Jace should have been down here ten minutes ago. We should be leaving in another 15 minutes.

"Do you guys know where he is?" Jess asked softly, and I shook my head. I didn't mind her. She hadn't been mean or anything, she was just so quiet and reserved that I hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to her.

"Sorry," I apologized, "We're on the same page as you." I then turned to my two friends.

"I'll be right back," I excused myself, "I've gotta call a friend quick..." I walked outside, and, after checking that no one was around, dialed Jace's number.

"Hello," his groggy answer made it clear that I had woken him up.

"Get you're _ass_ downstairs," I hissed, bypassing pleasantries.

"Why?" He whined, "It's only... _shit_!" I chuckled as I imagined him seeing the time. "Be down there in five." he hastily ended the call, and I re entered the common area.

"Do you think he's even coming?" I heard a whisper, but I couldn't tell who it came from.

"He probably just overslept," I rejoined the conversation. The girls nodded, obviously considering the conclusion I'd provided. We started making awkward small talk until a crash sounded from the top of the stairs. The six of us whipped our heads towards the sound.

"It was probably just one of the girls upstairs." Lacey dismissed it, but I knew better.

"Be right back!" I called over my shoulder, already on my way to the stairwell. I silently clambered up, hearing Jace talking to someone else. Of course, me being the curious (read: nosy) person I am, I had to investigate. I crept farther up so that I could peek around the corner if I wanted.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay, Sweetie?" I stiffened at the nasally voice, praying with all my heart that it wasn't who I thought. I peered around the wall, only to see Jace pull Kailie down onto his lap.

My throat constricted as I remembered all the times Jace had been my savior, protecting me when I couldn't protect myself. All of those times that I acted strong in the face of my attacker, but would come home bawling, saying that I wasn't good enough. _He_ was the one that held me in his arms, telling me how beautiful I was, telling me that it would all be okay. _He _was the reason that, the next day, the bully would come to school battered and bruised, or too scared to talk to me. I couldn't believe that he could _marry _my bully without even knowing. For the second time that day, the reality of me being possibly pushed out became all too real. I bit my lip, just now noticing the tears that had rolled down my face, leaning back against the wall as I tried to block out the conversation going on next to me.

"Well," Jace's voice was low and sultry, "I'm sorry to end this... pleasant encounter, but I have to go on a group date..."

_Crap!_ I thought, wiping frantically at my cheeks. Jace would know if I'd been crying, and, by this time, there was no use in hiding it. I heard Jace round the corner before I saw him, and he met my eyes with an unfaltering smile.

"Let's go, we don't want to be late!" his eyes left mine and he continued walking downstairs. I stood there for a second, stunned. They boy who'd never let a single tear of mine escape his radar didn't even notice. It felt like a knife had been driven into my heart.

**So... Depressed Clary :( I know, I'm a horrible person. BUT ANOTHER NOTE YOU SHOULD READ! Next chapter (tomorrow hopefully) I will do a Q&amp;A, so I want you guys to leave some questions in the reviews (about me, about the story) and so long as they're not _too_ personal, or they won't give away the story plot, I'll answer. LAST NOTE YOU SHOULD READ! I want all of you to try and guess the book I mentioned Clary was reading, and if you get it, I'll put it in the reviews, if you're the first one, I'll send you a Jace POV of any chapter you want (and you can cash it in later if you want, it doesn't have to be now). Adios, Mis fieles seguidores (my faithful followers)**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	6. Q&A

**So, I wanted to thank you guys that reviewed and followed BECAUSE I NOW HAVE MORE THAN 100 FOLLOWERS! A SPRECIAL THANKS TO BABYFACEGIRL26 WHO WAS MY 100TH REVIEWER! I also want to thank all of you who guessed that the book was... SWEET EVIL (The Sweet Trilogy was an acceptable answer also) by Wendy Higgins. That is one of my all time favorite book series (Serieses, series's, idk), and my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE series ending. For those of you who haven't read Sweet Reckoning yet, I'm not gonna spoil it though ;). If you haven't read it, you need to... And the entire Sweet Trilogy :P. Anyyyways, sorry I got sidetracked, but the winner iiiiiiiiiiiiis.**

**UNICORNS ROCK!**

**You are awesome! And you reviewed it within the _hour _the chapter was posted. That's seriously cool. My sister also wanted me to tell you that she loves your name (no, she's not little, she's 16, she just LOVES unicorns.) Buuuut, since you aren't in a fanfiction account, I need you to email the address in the AN of the next chapter, and don't worry, it's not a private email, it's for the fic (don't judge, got bored last night :D). I also want to thank...**

**liveloveread485 and kennamarch18 for also submitting correct answers to the question! Now, for the few people who left questions, I thought I'd bring Clary and Jace in to answer them, since all of them are about the plot.**

**Q: (Well, sort of): I want to know what Clary will do**

**Jace: Who knows with that... thing. CLARY DON'T YOU DARE THROW THE MIC AT ME!**

**Q: What do AH and AU mean?**

**Clary: Well, AH means All Human, AU means Alternate Universe (so, not in the shadowhunter world, for Mortal Instruments). And Jace, if you insult me again, so help me god I will punch you.**

**Q: How many chapters do you think this fanfic will be?**

**Me: Errr... I honestly don't know. It's really hard to say, but definitely more than 10. Clary and Jace, please stop making out, you need to answer questions! *Just Kidding***

**Q: Will Simon and Sebastian show up in this fic**

**Clary: Simon, definitely- I think you'll like the next chapter- and Sebestian, may-**

**Jace: Hell. No. I hate that guy. He is _not_ coming near you**

**Clary: Jealous?**

**Jace: You wish**

**Q: Are you going to have Clary tell Jace that she can't spy anymore and she wants to leave because she loves him, and then have him realize he loves her**

**Jace: WHAT?! CLARY LOVES ME?!**

**Clary: Oh calm down, it was probably just a joke. *laughs nervously***

**Jace: But, they said-**

**Me: Moving on...**

**Q: Will this story be a Clace story?**

**Jace: Clary, what's Clace?**

**Clary: I don't know... seriously, I don't, stop giving me that look, Jace. What _is_ Clace?**

**Me: Hehe, don't worry about it guys. Yes, it will be a Clace story. No doubt. Remember this well, because you miiight need the assurance in the future, seeing as I LOVE giant plot twists! :)**

**Okay, well, that was fun to write... but now I think you want to read the next chapter, so, without further ado... (click next chapter button!)**


	7. Dark Horse

**Hey guys! I wanted to let you know a couple things. First, I set up a twitter page for this fic so that all guests can comment. Its called TheBachelorTMI. All of you can post anything on there, and I'll do some contests for rewards on there. Sneak previews will also be posted on the site! I made an email for comments and questions directly to me also (thebachelortmi gmail . Com) without spaces, of course. Thank you for all of my wonderful reviewers, and, I really want you guys to ask things about me. I love getting to know my viewers, so I'm going to do another Q&amp;A, but this one will be next time I update. I ALSO NEED A COVER ARTIST BECAUSE I'M PLANNING ON POSTING THIS FIC ON WATTPAD TOO! EMAIL YOUR SUBMISSION TO THE ACCOUNT ABOVE ^-^)**

The car ride wasn't too bad. I'd forced the earlier encounter with Jace out of my mind, and, I mean, I was next to Aline and Helen. Jace sat in front of us with Jess and Seelie.

"So, when are you gonna tell us where we're going?" I asked loudly, gaining Jace's attention. He fixed me with a Cheshire Cat smile.

"You'll just have to wait, won't you." He winked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Ass." I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" he raised an eyebrow, as in one singular eyebrow, and I could tell that now, he was just trying to piss me off with his stupid eyebrow.

"You know exactly what I said." I shrugged nonchalantly. He narrowed his eyes, then _stood up_ in the middle of the moving limo.

"Jace!" I exclaimed as he plopped down between Aline and I, "What the _hell_ are you thinking?! Do you have a death wish?!"

"I guess I do, seeing as I sat next to _you_." He shot me a wide grin that I wanted to smack off his face. I stretched up so that my lips were millimeters from his ear.

"I will kill you slowly and painfully, and I will enjoy doing it." I whispered, making sure that my voice was to quiet for the cameras to pick up. Then, I pulled back, winking as if I'd said something suggestive. His smile only grew wider.

"Of course you would." He replied coyly, catching on to my game. I chuckled as I noticed that his arm now rested across the back of the seat behind me, a classic cheesy move, even though he wasn't quite touching me. I was about to either ask why, or call him out on it when the limo began to follow a series of curves.

Jace's arm dropped to wrap around my waist, pulling me to him. I didn't question or resist the embrace, instead, gladly accepting it. He knew how much I hated curving roads. How, ever since the accident, I'd feared them.

By this point, nothing processed in my brain, though. All I could hear was the squeal of brakes and the screech of swerving tires. All I could see were headlights approaching way too fast. All I could smell was smoke and burning rubber. All I could feel was scaling metal pressing into my skin.

"It's okay." Jace's whisper somehow broke through my haze, "I'm here. You're okay, we're fine. Nothing's gonna happen." I pulled myself back into reality to be met with the concerned stares of Aline and Helen.

"Are you okay?" Aline asked softly.

"Yeah," I kept my voice steady, "Why do you ask?"

"You just got really pale, all of a sudden." Helen told me, "And your eyes got so blank, like you weren't even here."

_I'm just really nervous for the date_, I mouthed, feeling a twinge of guilt as they offered knowing smiles. We hit a bump, and I stiffened, but the tightening of Jace's arm around me comforted me, even though he was in the middle of a conversation with Jess.

He squeezed my hip, as if to tell me that it was all okay, that he wouldn't let anything happen to me, and I nodded slightly, knowing he was watching me out of the corner of his eye. Finally, the road ceased to twist, and my stomach uncoiled. I didn't quite know how to interpret the fact that Jace's arm stayed firmly around me.

"Close your eyes!" Jace instructed all of us, and we complied as the limo slowed, "On three open them. One, Two, _Three!_" We all leapt forwards to look out the window, met with the sight of none other than Idris Dance Studio. My face broke out into a wide smile.

"No way!" I was the first one to speak, "We're going to _Idris!?_"

Allow me to explain. Back in New York, a few years ago in a game of truth or dare, Jace and I had been dared to take a ballroom dancing class. Surprisingly, we ended up liking it, and kept taking the classes at Clave Ballroom Dance. We had (read: wanted) to come to LA about two months before shooting started, to get used to the city of course. Jace and I had complained about not being able to go to dance classes (which we'd been relentlessly teased about), only to find that, as a surprise, the rest of the gang had enrolled us in classes for our free time at Idris. We had, surprisingly, become Haley Scott's (the instructor) favorite pair, and she was so nice too. Her and her husband (Nathan) were awesome to hang out with. And now, we were here again.

"We're taking dance classes?" Seelie asked.

"You'll find out when we all get out of the car," Jace winked, slipping out of the limo. I was close behind, followed by my two friends, then Jess and Seelie.

"Okay!" Jace clapped his hands together, standing in front of the studio's door, "Yes, we _are_ taking a dance lesson. We will be doing the tango and rumba, the hottest dances out there. So, are you guys ready to sweat?!" I rolled my eyes at the innuendo, then cheered with the other girls.

"Any questions?" He asked, then pointed to Seelie, who'd raised her hand.

"Who will the rest of us be dancing with?" She twirled her hair around her finger, giggling in true ditsy girl fashion, "Ya know, when we aren't with you."

"Some of the dancers from the studio that volunteered." Jace answered, but the glint in his eyes told me he was lying. Now, I was curious. "Are you guys ready to go in?" He tried to get us pumped up, and it worked.

"YEAH!" We yelled in response. Then, Jace opened the door with a flourish, and we all bounded in. My first thought when my eyes landed on the back of the tall, sparkly man was _No. Freaking. Way._

Then, he turned around, and sure enough, I met the catlike eyes of Magnus Bane. Next to him stood Alec, Simon, and Jordan. If it was possible, my smile grew. I knew their plan instantly, having been friends with them for so many years. They wanted to scope out the girls _without_ anyone knowing that they were some of the most important people in Jace's life.

It took all of my willpower not to squeal and hug them. I only now realized just how much I missed seeing my friends' faces. Haley stepped out onto the floor, meeting my eyes and offering a quick wink that was too quick for anyone else to catch. Good, she knew not to say anything about my relation to the bachelor.

"Hi girls!" her smile was contagious, "My name is Haley James Scott, and I'm the owner and instructor of Idris. I'm so glad that I get to teach you all today! I'm sure Jace told you, we'll be learning the rumba and the tango today. These are my assistants." Haley stepped back, allowing the guys to introduce themselves.

"Magnus Bane, at your service." Said man offered a bow and his trademark grin.

"Uh... I'm Simon." in true Simon awkwardness, he offered a little wave.

"I'm Jordan." his greeting was similar to Simon's, but a little bit more confident.

"Alec." Alec kept the emotionless face and tone he usually used with new people. I didn't miss the subtle elbow to Alec, courtesy of his boyfriend.

"Well," Haley clapped her hands together, "as you can see, my assistants aren't the most... social people." She winked, and everyone laughed, including the boys. "And on that note," she continued, walking over to the stereo, "let's get started! Jace, come up here." She waved him up to the front, and he gladly walked up to her.

"Jace here is going to demonstrate some of the things you might be doing today. Now, we need one girl to come up with him. Don't worry, it'll just be something simple, and Jace will lead you. I think a good pick would be..." I stopped paying attention as she scanned the crowd, knowing she would pick a beginner so that someone would get a learning experience out of it, "You." I tapped my foot, lost in my own mind as I waited for whoever it was to go up, when Aline elbowed me. I snapped back to attention only to find both Jace and Haley staring at me.

"Me?" I pointed to myself, unsure of whether or not this was a joke. Haley laughed.

"Yes, you..." she trailed off, as if asking my name. "Clary." I supplied, even though she already knew it. I strode to the front of the class, feigning confidence as my mind raced. What game were the two playing at. Their smiles had assured me that this had been planned, but what was in store for me?

"Clary, Jace will be showing you some moves, and all you need to do is let him lead you, and the rest should come naturally. The rest of you, watch them. I'll call out any mistakes. I think you'll like the song I have picked out for you guys." she scrolled on her iPod until she came to the one she was looking for, "I'm sure you're familiar with it. It's by Katy Perry, and it's called _Dark Horse_."

A cunning smirk spread across my own face. I knew what was going on now. You see, about a week after we got here, Haley realized that we were far from beginners, so she asked us to help her with the newcomers. She taught us a certain routine, telling me that at first, I was supposed to act like the one that didn't really know anything, then _BAM!_ We'd shock the people with our mad skills.

Okay, so those weren't her _exact_ words, but I think you get the general idea.

Jace grabbed one of my hands and placed his other one on my waist.

"Now, put your free hand on my shoulder, stand up straight, and lock your form." he "instructed", and I did as he asked, acting like getting it correct took effort.

"Good!" he complimented me, "Now we're gonna start the music, and right away, I want you to step back when I step forwards, then step forwards when I step back, got it?"

"Got it." I confirmed, then Jace turned and nodded at Haley, signaling her to start the music. The intro began to play, and I did as Jace had commanded before.

"Ready to do something a little bit more complicated?" Jace asked over the music after just a few steps.

"Yeah." I replied, we smiled.

_Let's rage_

Jace pulled me tight against him into a frame, and we started _really_ dancing.

_I knew you were_

_You were gonna come to me_

We moved fluidly across the floor, our eyes locked on each other's, the world around us falling away as we became caught up in the dance.

_And here you are_

_But you better choose carefully_

_And I_

_I'm capable of anything_

_Of anything and everything_

_Make me your Aphrodite_

_Make me your one and only_

_But don't make me your enemy_

_Your enemy_

"Tighten your frame Jace. Clary, loosen your hips." Haley called out.

_So you wanna play with magic  
_

_Boy, you should know what you're falling for  
_

_Baby do you dare to do this?  
_

_Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse  
_

_Are you ready for, ready for  
_

_A perfect storm, perfect storm  
_

_Cause once you're mine, once you're mine  
_

_There's no going back_

_Mark my words  
_

_This love will make you levitate  
_

_Like a bird  
_

_Like a bird without a cage  
_

_But down to earth  
_

_If you choose to walk away, don't walk away_

_It's in the palm of your hand now baby  
_

_It's a yes or no, no maybe  
_

_So just be sure before you give it all to me  
_

_All to me, give it all to me_

_So you wanna play with magic  
_

_Boy, you should know what you're falling for  
_

_Baby do you dare to do this?  
_

_Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse  
_

_Are you ready for, ready for  
_

_A perfect storm, perfect storm  
_

_Cause once you're mine, once you're mine (love trippin')  
_

_There's no going back  
_

"Get ready for the lift!" Haley shouted, knowing that her version of the song skipped the rap verse, and we did just that.

_So you wanna play with magic  
_

_Boy, you should know what you're falling for (you should know)  
_

_Baby do you dare to do this?  
_

_Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse (like a dark horse)  
_

_Are you ready for, ready for (ready for)  
_

_A perfect storm, perfect storm (a perfect storm)  
_

_Cause once you're mine, once you're mine (mine)  
_

I ran towards Jace, who braced for me to fly, then jumped into his arms. He held me by the waist, letting me slide down until our noses crossed, and my lips were millimeters were his.

_There's no going back._

I felt his warm, minty breath fan across my face, his mouth curving into a smile that rivaled my own.

"That was amazing!" Haley exclaimed, and I wanted to jump with joy. Haley was very nice, but compliments were rare coming from her in regards to dance.

"You can let Clary down now." she laughed, and it was just then that we realized that I was still in Jace's arms. He lowered me to the ground, and we turned and beamed at the rest of the girls, who's jaws were dropped in shock.

"I've taken ballroom dance for a few years." the lie came off the top of my head, "Jace and I planned this last night. It was quick, and we got most of the moves from Dancing With the Stars. It was just a quick fix to shock you guys!" Luckily, against all odds, the girls seemed to accept my fib. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I went to stand with the group.

"Okay!" Haley scanned everyone as the crowd grew silent, "Jace will be assigning you all partners as he sees fit. I trust his judgement, and my assistants all know what to do. I'll be walking around, observing. They'll only do very simple steps with you, and if you have any questions at all, just ask me!" With that, Haley gestured to Jace, who now stood front and center.

"Okay..." his eyes ran over all of us, then the guys, "Let me just remind you, this is a temporary arrangement, all of you will get a chance to dance with everyone, but... Helen, go ahead and go with Simon, Aline go with Alec, Jess go with Jordan, Seelie come with me, and Clary, that leaves you with Magnus."

_Tone him down_, Jace mouthed to me so quickly that I almost missed it. I nodded, stifling laughter. We all walked to our respective partners, and Magnus and I positioned ourselves accordingly. We'd chosen the secluded back corner so that we could talk without anyone else hearing us.

"So," Magnus smiled, "Who tied you down and forced you to wear a little bit of makeup?" I couldn't help the snort that escaped me.

"Wow, Mags," I deadpanned, "I'm so glad to see you too! I mean, a month away was so long, and I'm so happy you're here." He rolled his eyes.

"What, you couldn't even go a few weeks without my magnificent fashion sense to guide you?" He winked. I blinked, expressionless.

"You've been spending too much time with Jace." I stated simply, and we both burst into laughter.

"I suppose you're right." He admitted, "I think he may be rubbing off on me."

"No." I dragged out the word, sarcasm evident in my tone, "Not at all."

"Rotate partners!" Jace called, and Magnus and I stopped. He pulled me into a hug. "I really did miss you, Clary." He whispered.

"I missed you too!" I replied with a smile, before looking around for whoever didn't have a partner yet. The one that stood alone was the raven-haired, blue-eyed boyfriend of the man I'd just danced with. Wordlessly, he walked over to my corner, locking us both in a frame.

"Hey, Alec," I offered a cheesy smile, "long time, no see." He simply nodded, face still void of emotion. I knew he was trying not to risk anything, treating me just as he had with the other girls, but I wasn't about to stand for it.

I narrowed my eyes at him playfully, then adjusted my expression to match his own void one. When a smile began to tip his lips up, I resisted the urge to break. It became even harder when he shook with suppressed laughter. Finally, he let it out, doubling over as he laughed. That was when I broke, leaning on him so as to not fall over. We didn't even calm down before Jace yelled "Rotate!" once again. This time, I got Jordan.

"Hey Kyle!" I wore the same smile I had with Alec, but Jordan actually smiled back.

"Hey Clare." he spun me around, "So, how's the bachelorette life been treatin' you?" I groaned.

"Let's just say that I might be stuck with a few that I would rather stab myself than go to dinner with." Jordan chuckled.

"So what's the info on the girls here?" he asked curiously. "Helen and Aline are really nice," I complimented, "I've actually made really good friends with them. Jess is sweet, but she's so quiet that I haven't gotten the chance to get to know her. And Seelie... the only thing I can say is, avoid her." Jordan snorted, and I made a face.

"I'm not joking," I told him seriously, "stay away from her."

"That bad?" Jordan raised an eyebrow (singular), and I pinched him. Apparently, Jace's mannerisms hadn't _just_ spread to Mags. He smirked just in time for Jace to yell once again.

"Bye, Clare!" Jordan hugged me before walking away, and Simon approached. I wanted with all my heart to hurl myself into his arms, but I restrained myself.

"Hey, Si." I couldn't keep myself from wrapping my arms tightly around his neck as he approached.

"Need... Air." He choked out jokingly before returning the embrace, "I'm guessing you missed me." I slapped the back of his head.

"Are you psycho?!" I hissed, "Of course I missed you!" He beamed.

"What? Jace too busy with the other girls to play Dead or Alive with you?" his words caused me to flinch, and that was my undoing.

"What was that?" Simon asked, eyebrows (yes, plural, he was actually nice to me) raised.

"What was what?" I asked innocently, but I already knew I was doomed. Simon could read me better than anyone, save for Jace.

"You know _exactly_ what I mean."

"No..." 

"So you mean you didn't just flinch when I mentioned Jace being too busy with other girls?"

"Again, no..."

"Well that's good, 'cause I'm sure Jace's gotten some from the other girls, or at least made out with them."

I growled, as in a pure, animalistic growl. I took in a sharp breath as I realized what I'd done. Yeah, there was no avoiding it now, and judging by the triumphant look on Simon's face, he hadn't been anywhere close to missing it.

"I really should've listened to Izzy..." He mumbled, and I gaped.

"Izzy _told_ you?!" My voice came out louder than intended, and I blushed as I felt several pairs of eyes on me.

"I think it's time to rotate one last time!" Jace called yet again, and I let out a relieved breath, thankful to not have to withstand Simon's questioning. Jace himself strode over, but Simon didn't move yet.

"Have fun you two!" He winked at me, then walked off, leaving me with my mouth agape. Jace and I found our positions, but, unlike with the others, I felt Jace's fingers on me like they were burning, my skin tingling under his touch. God, I was whipped.

"What was that whole thing about?" he asked.

"What whole thing?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Well, you just yelled at Simon randomly, then he winked and said 'Have fun you two' all suggestively..." Jace trailed of, and I mentally cringed.

"Simon's still just teasing me about having to fight for your love..." I lied, and, luckily, it came out flawless. Sadly, it was Jace I was _attempting_ to lie to.

"Uh-huh," he said in disbelief, "Sure. So, we have a lot to talk about tonight, like what that whole thing was _really_ about, your dirty dream, and..." Jace trailed off.

"And what?" Now, I had to know.

"Later." He whispered in my ear, then gestured discreetly to the cameras nearing us. For the rest of the time, we danced in a comfortable silence, no words needed between us to feel better. Haley told us all goodbye before we left, giving us each a hug. I only realized how dark it was when we stepped outside.

"Okay ladies!" Jace's voice stopped our chatter, and our attention turned to him, "I know it's late, but we still have one more thing to do. I believe all of us will be having a very nice dinner at Mar'sel's. Is anyone hungry."

"YEAH!" we all shouted, laughing at our own eagerness.

"Then let's go!" Jace entered the limo, and we followed. Well, this would be interesting.

**Okay, by far the longest chapter I've written. Almost 4,000 words! Woah. What are you guys wondering now? How's the dinner gonna go down? What was the accident Clary was so freaked out about? What is Jace gonna ask? And _what_ was with the arm thing in the limo? I mean, Jace _left his arm there_! *Gasp* O_o. THE QUESTIONS FOR THIS CHAPTER WITH THE REWARD OF A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER (a short one since you could probably just google the answer) FOR THE FIRST TO ANSWER: What show is Haley James Scott from? And _who_ danced to Dark Horse on Dancing With the Stars? Yes, two questions! Amazing, right?! Jusqu'à la prochaine fois, mes fidèles! (Until next time, my faithful followers- in French this time!)**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	8. Still Into You

**Please don't hate me! I am sooooo sorry I haven't updated in so long, and I feel HORRIBLE. It's just that we just moved housed, so my computer was lost in the boxes, and I turn it on to find that my chapters have been _deleted_! I was really really mad, and I'm so so so so sorry. I will NEVER have a gap this long again, and the story is FAR from finished. As for last chapter's challenge... Alicella Ivashkov was the first to turn in _one_ answer, and LittleLily99 was the first to answer _both, _but seeing as the chapters were DELETED (Stupid computer) I have a different prize. I will PM you both a perfectly awkward Simon proposal, and either a Malec proposal or Izzy making her first (edible) grilled cheese. You choose the second one ;) **

**To : I have four siblings (Two of them are not _technically _related to me, I just call them my siblings cause we're such close friends)**

**Clary _will_ have a _good_ sibling ;)**

**And I honestly do. I mean, even now, Clary and him do seem like they might just... _fit_**

**To xxCalixx: Thank you for being an awesome hundreth review!**

**To Green Kangaroo: I love the poem, and I read it so many times that it's sometimes stuck in my head :D**

**I want to thank all of my reviewers and followers so much, but there is one person in particular. **

**To ClaraJoy: Thank you. I don't think you know how awesome that review was to get. I think my entire family has seen it several times, and it is what inspired me to churn out this chapter in one day when I got my computer back.**

This time, when we got back in the car, Jace slid in next to me.

"Are you okay?" He whispered softly.

"Yeah," I nodded, telling the truth. I was only bothered when the road bent, "Thank you, though, Jace." I leaned into him, resting my head on his chest, but was extremely surprised when Jace wrapped an arm around me, setting his head on top of mine.

"Jace, I don't think you should be doing that." I whispered.

"Oh relax," he scoffed "I've done this with the other girls too, you're nothing special."

It felt like the breath was stolen from my lungs. I couldn't believe myself. That I had clearly blown the morning case _way_ out of proportion. It clearly meant nothing to him. Hell, he probably done that with half the girls on the show too. He was right, I was not social. I pulled away none too gently.

"You should talk with the other girls." _The ones who might actually be special_. Of course, the last part was only in my head. He opened his mouth, and I knew his next words would be, "Tell me what's wrong." Well, at least that's what his words to someone "special" would be.

Luckily, the car slowed to a halt, so whatever Jace was going to say was cut off. We got out, I had to turn away when Seelie wrapped an arm around Jace, whispering into his ear. I turned back, only to find the two in the same position, and I couldn't control the sharp "Ahem" that rose from my throat.

Jace seemed to snap out of his daze, and Seelie turned an evil glare on me for "interrupting" her.

"Well, we're here for dinner," I cringed at Jace's obviously hoarse voice, "I mean, it's more of a cocktial party, but anyways, you all can go out onto the patio. Talk, eat, drink. Seelie, why don't you come with me?"

I clenched my fists at the triumphant smile said girl shot me as her and the Bachelor himself walked somewhere else. The rest of us ambled over to the patio, as instructed, and I sat down in the middle of a wicker couch.

I stared off at a random point in the distance, scolding myself for the jealousy roaring inside of me. I knew this would happen. I came to the competition knowing full and well he would get married. That he-

"Hey, Clary." A voice shook me from my thoughts, "Are you okay?" Aline stood over me, eyes wide with concern, and Helen came to join her.

"I'm fine." I mentally cringed at hearing how weak my voice sounded.

"No, you're not," Helen said as her and Aline lowered themselves on either side of me, "Now tell us what's wrong."

"Just..." I sighed, "It's some drama with my friend back at home." The two girls gave me sympathetic smiles, and it made me feel better, despite the fact that they didn't know the half of it. Aline opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as her attention was drawn upwards.

I followed her line of sight to see Jace himself approaching with a giggling Seelie. She finally detatched herself from him and sat down. My heart beat a tiny bit faster when Jace made his way over, but it quickly plumetted as I realized that I wasn't who he came for.

"Aline," he offered her his arm, not even sparing me a glance. Aline giggled, taking it, and the two walked off, Aline tossing a quick wave over her shoulder. I stared at the spot they'd occupied long after they were gone, until I felt someone nudge me.

"It's okay, Clare." Helen reassured me, "We'll all get our chance."

"It's not that," I replied, "It's just... Jace reminds me a lot of my best friend back home..."

"But it's just not him." Helen finished.

"Believe me," my voice was strained, "I know."

After a while, everyone but me had gotten their alone time with the Bachelor. He'd just now returned with Helen.

"Clary?" He stuck out a hand.

"Ah," I took it, letting him pull me to my feet, "I see you remembered my name this time."

To others, my tone sounded joking, but I knew Jace would detect the biting note. As predicted, he did, and turned to me with a raised eyebrow. His hand dropped mine, instead placing itself on the small of my back, forcing us closer. Cue the fireworks... again.

"Of course I did." He answered, most likely fot the benefit of the camera. The blonde boy guided me away from the group and to a patio setting that was lit by candles. He pulled my down on the couch, wrapping a blanket around me without a word.

"Tell me." His soft voice shattered the silence, and I waited for him to continue, but he remained quiet.

"Tell you what?" I took the bait. He gave me an 'Are you serious?' look, and I rolled my eyes.

"What's wrong?" He clarified, "And before you say nothing, I know that one, you were crying on the stairs today, and two, you were pissed at me in the car."

"Thanks for asking, but I'm just wondering why you're wasting your time on 'no one special'." This time, the venom and hurt in my voice went undisguised, and his eyes widened in realization.

"Clare..." Jace yanked me into his arm, forcing me to sit on his lap, which, if I'm being honest, wasn't the worst thing in the world, "I'm so sorry. I never meant it that way. Of course you're special to me. I can't even describe what how much you matter." Slowly, I snaked my arms around his neck as my first silent tear fell.

"I can't lose you, Jace." My voice was strangled and weak, "I just can't"

"You won't." Though my voice was weak, his was strong and unwavering, "You will _never_ lose me. You couldn't if you tried. And, just to prove it, I had a little surprise planned, but first, you have to look at where we are."

I lifted my head and followed where Jace was pointing to be met with the sight of rolling waves hitting a soft, sandy beach.

"Now look at the time." Jace's breath tickled the shell of my ear. I looked at my watch. 9:58. I laughed despite my somber mood. Every time we'd been to a beach together, Jace and I had alwas taken a 10 o' clock swim. Suddenly, his hands were on my waist, and he lifted me to my feet, quickly following suit.

"Jace, where are we going?" I asked as he led me down a staircase that I hadn't seen before, but received no answer.

"Goldilocks!" I tried to no avail, "Honey head!" Finally, he acknowleged me as we reached the bottom.

"We can't break tradition," he said simply, pulling off his shirt, then following with his pants, leaving him in... swim trunks? My mouth dropped open as a cunning smile spread across his face.

"Jace, n-" my words were cut off by Jace scooping me up in his arms, then sprinting towards the water.

"Jace Wayland!" I shrieked, "Don't you dare!" He simply laughed, charging into the waves. The icy spray rose to meet us, soaking me completely. I clung tighter to the man holding me, as if the action could dry me off.

"What's that Fray?" He stopped, looking down at me with a quirked eyebrow, "You want me to put you down?" Without a second's delay, his arms released me, and my hold on his now wet neck slipped. All I could do was hold my breath as my body sunk into the murky water. I quickly powered to the surface, surprised at how deep we'd gone.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" I yelled over Jace's roaring laughter, "YOU ARE SO FREAKING LUCKY I LEFT MY PHONE WITH ALINE!" He was doubled over now, and I saw my opportunity, jumping up and shoving him down too. He fell silent, probably shocked by the water's tempurature, then he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Oh, it's on." He growled.

I had lost the water war. Plain and simple, and this was confirmed when I'd begged Jace for mercy as he'd attacked my vulnerable and unbelievabley ticklish sides.

Now, I stood in the knee deep water staring out at the horizon as I pictured how I would draw the scene. The soggy sand moved as I circled my bare foot around, having removed my shoes and thrown them on the shore.

"Clare," Jace said softly beside me.

"Hmm?" I mumbled absentmidedly, focused on the scenery.

"Clare." he repeated, this time using one hand to spin me to face him by my waist, and the other to tilt my chin to so that my eyes met his.

"I-I..." He closed his eyes, taking a breath, obviously trying to find the right words. The hand on my chin moved to cup my cheek, and his other pulled me against his chest before it started to stroke my hair.

_YOU WHAT?!_ My mind began to race,_ You want to proclaim your undying love for me?! You want to marry me?! Hell, I'll take an "I maybe kinda like you as more than a friend"._

"I can't believe," He continued, then swallowed hard, "I can't believe I made you think I didn't care. I never in a million years want you to think that. You are the most important girl in my life, and even when I _do_ have to choose a girl, if it's between you and her, I will always pick you. You _never_, I repeat, _**never**_ have to worry about me leaving you, Clarissa Adele Fray. I..." He trailed off, but I didn't care, because I saw an odd spark that I'd never witnessed before in his golden eyes.

He bit his lip, his thumb softly stroking my cheek. Slowly, carefully, I wrapped my arms around his neck, and his fell around my waist, now pulling me flush against him. I went into cardiac arrest territory when he rested his forehead on mine, only centimeters between our lips.

"Jace." I whispered softly, actually, it was more of a plea. That one word seemed to undo him, and I saw the intent in his expression. My eyes fluttered closed as I waited for the sweet bliss of his lips on mine.

"HEY!" The unfamiliar yell startled me, causing me to tear away from Jace as I jumped back in fear. Of course, being me, my foot got caught on something, and I fell flat on my ass into the water. I glared daggers at the person- a cameraman- that ran towards us for breaking the almost-kiss.

I was so close. _Millimeters_ at that time. A back to normal, laughing Jace took my hand, helping me to my feet as we both jogged to meet the man at shore.

"We have to go." he said simply, then lapsed into silence as he stared at the two of us, waiting for us to move. I huffed a short breath, containing what I really wanted to say and plastering on a smile.

"Of course." I replied politely, "C'mon Jace, let's go."

The bastard was still laughing.

**LOL NO! I bet you actually thought they were gonna kiss! :'D. Too fun faking you guys out... I have a feeling this is why I will die young. :P. But... There is a NEW CHALLENGE for this chapter. I want you guys to either create a playlist for this chapter or what you PREDICT will be the best for the next one (Hint: Week 2 (finally) and a Clace one-on-one date). The playlist needs at least five songs, and label which one it is (present or future). The best in each category wil get a (drumroll pleeeeease) CLACE WEDDING SCENE! I actually had to write it for an English assignment. Needless to say, it was my favorite assignment all year, I mean, I got to write fanfiction for a grade! :D... Anyways, the deadline is 7/25. May the odds be ever in your favor! **

**Addio miei fedeli**

**-Shadowhunter5801**

**PS I got a 50/50 on the assignment ;)**


	9. I'd Lie

**Hello! Look at the surprise! I'm actually updating on time! Isn't this just amazing! ;D. Okay, so about the competition, the winner is... QUEEAN DAENERYS TARGARYEN FOR PRESENT, AND MISSSEMI-DEPENDENT FOR FUTURE! The best SONGS submitted were: I'd Lie and I'd Do Anything! Thank all of you guys for the awesome entries, and I want you to know that you all ****_ROCK. _****So, my goal by chapter 10 is to get 200 followers, 100 favorites, and at least 150-160 reviews. I know you guys will be able to help, so if you could spread the word to anyone you know, that would be awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I don't think I've ever done one of these before, but Mortal Instruments does not belong to me, nor do the characters. I only own the plot.**

"We are the jack-o-lanterns in the July," I sang, swaying my hips to the beat of the song as it blasted through my earbuds, "Setting fire to the sky. Here, here comes the rising tide. C'mon!" I hummed as I flipped the pancakes, checking on the bacon as the scent of breakfast filled my nose. All of a sudden, there was a tap on my shoulder and I jumped, yanking one of the tiny speakers from my ears.

"Holy hell," I put a hand over my racing heart as I whipped around to face the person, "You almost gave me a..." I trailed off as my eyes took in the two girls in front of me, distaste causing my nose to crinkle.

"You've been making too much noise. _Some _of us need our beauty sleep, because some of us actually have, well, you know, beauty." At Kailie's nasally voice, I half wished I'd left my headphones in, but I couldn't resist the jab.

"Sorry sweetheart." I put a hand on her shoulder in mock pity, "I know you _aren't_ one of the ones with beauty, but I'd appreciate if you stopped bagging on those of us who _do_ have it." I offered a sarcastic smile before turning back to the sizzling food. No, I'm not normally such a rude person, but Kailie was going out of her way to get me out.

Just this last weekend, she'd tripped me, shoved me, messed with my hair products and makeup, and messed up the snack I'd made for Jace. And the whole time, Seelie was right there helping her.

A long, manicured nail tapped me yet again, but I ignored it, even when it grew more persistent. Suddenly, the hand grabbed my arm, nails biting sharply into my skin, and the girl spun me around.

"Let go of me," I snarled, extremely mad, "Now." Even though I was several inches shorter then Seelie, who had grabbed me, she still took a step back in fear. Jace had even admitted that when I was mad enough, I was just flat out terrifying, and right now, I was done with the games.

"I want both of you to stop messing with me right now." I growled, "By now, you should've figured out that I'm not going _anywhere_. And if you don't like it, you just need to deal with it. I'm done trying to be nice when all I get in return is your crap, please and thank you." I yet again went back to the stove, turning off the burners and putting the breakfast on plates, successfully ignoring the gaping girls.

Kailie was the first to react, huffing haughtily, then she turned on heel and strutted into the living room area, Seelie quick to follow. Not even a minute later, the creak of the stairs sounded again. I turned to see who the next person awake would be, and was shocked yet again at who I found.

"Mor-" he yawned stretching his arms out before pulling me into a one armed hug, "Morning Fray."

"Morning Goldie." My voice was muffled by his shirt, and my heart had gone into overdrive. It had almost been a week, the rose ceremony passed, Monica and Phoebe the two who'd gone home, we were now in Austrailia, and I still couldn't get the almost kiss out of my head. Even though the next day, we played it off as nothing.

"Whatcha makin'?" Jace's head rested on my shoulder as I prepared the plate, the previously freed earbud now in his ear.

"Uh... everything that's on the plate. Bacon, eggs, and pancakes." I controlled the urge to shiver as his breath brushed my neck. Luckily, I'd accidentally made too much for myself, so when Jace pulled a plate from the cabinet next to us, I had food to spare.

"Thank you, Clare." He said in his gravelly (read: sexy) morning voice.

"No problem." I flapped my hand dismissively, walking around the counter to sit down beside him.

"Why are you up so early?" I asked after finishing my plate within five minutes.

"I have a one on one date today." Jace stated simply, and my heart dropped just a bit.

"Oh," I tried to keep my voice enthusiastic, "Well who's it with."

"You'll just have to find out, won't you?" Jace winked, ruffled my ponytail, then rose to his feet and began walking back to the stairs.

"Hold up." I jumped off the stool and jogged over Jace, setting a hand on his shoulder to stop him, "You just came over here to mooch off _my_ food, and now you're just gonna leave me and probably go back to sleep?"

"Basically." He dropped a kiss on my cheek and continued upstairs as I stood, stunned.

"Asshole." I mumbled, smiling as I shook my head.

I flipped the page of my book, sighing.

"Clarissa Rowe," I tested out the name, "Clary Rowe." Aline looked over her own book, raising her eyebrows at my random mumbling.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, and I laughed.

"I wouldn't say anything, miss self-proclaimed Aline Eaton." Helen sat down in the middle of us.

"Now you pipe up." Aline rolled her eyes before turning back to _Divergent_.

"Daaaate Caaaard!" Jess ran in yelling, and we all snapped to attention, even me, "You guys ready."

"YES!" We all chorused back, and my stomach churned in anticipation at the girl Jace would be taking out.

"Clary." Jess read, and my mouth dropped open, "You're greatest wish is about to come true... Jace."

I was completely stunned, unmoving as the girls waited for my reaction. Then, all the emotions hit me, and I am not in any way proud to admit that yes, I did squeal. Thank _God_ Jace wasn't out there to see it. Aline and Helen both tackled me in a bear hug, and I chose to ignore Seelie and Kailie's whispering.

"What do you think you guys are doing?" Aline asked, eyes alight with genuine interest. I bit my lip, searching my mind for what I'd told Jace my absolute greatest wish was, and when I realized what it would probably be, I jumped to my feet.

"Gotta go get ready!" I exclaimed, and the two girls laughed.

"Bye, Clary!" I heard them yell collectively.

"Bye!" I called back over my shoulder, pounding up the stairs then bursting into my room.

I was never one of those girls who obsessed over her clothes, so I just grabbed a pair of ripped and bleached skinny jeans and a _Sleeping With Sirens _shirt. Then, my Inner-Izzy and Inner-Magnus decided to make an appearance.

"_What are you thinking, Darling?"_ Inner-Magnus began, _"You're going on a date. With Jace. Not to Taki's after class. You have to add something... Fabulous." _

"_But not _too _fancy." _Inner-Izzy added, _"You don't want to look like you put too much effort into it. You just want to give off the 'I wake up this beautiful' look"_

"I guess you're right," I replied, then realized that I'd just talked out loud... to people that weren't there. I shook my head. Going crazy was _not_ at the top of my To-Do List.

"_But Jace is."_ This time, the voice wasn't even anyone else, it was just my dark, demented place of a mind.

I slapped myself lightly, snapping out of it, then leafed through my closet, choosing one of the nicer blouses that had been supplied by the show, but leaving the jeans. I grabbed a pair of flats, wanting to live through the day rather than breaking my neck by falling in heels, then went to the bathroom.

It took a few minutes, but I'd arranged my fiery hair into an intricate updo, securing it with a clip before moving to makeup. I spread on a coat of lipgloss, then flicked a tiny bit of mascara onto my eyelashes. I reached for the eyeshadow, but stopped midway, wrinkling my nose in distaste and immediately drawing my hand back. Yeah, not even Jace could get me to wear eyeshadow... Not yet at least.

With that, I grabbed a small purse, throwing my phone inside of it, then raced back down the stairs and to the front door.

"I was wondering where..." Jace trailed off, eyes scanning my from head to toe as I came to a spot in front of him, "Someone dressed up." Surprisingly, the words weren't as much of a teasing as a general statement.

"Just because I put on a nicer shirt doesn't mean I dressed up." _Lie. _He stepped closer, but I wasn't tempted to squirm under his scrutiny for some odd reason.

"You're wearing lipgloss. And mascara. And you did your hair." Jace's voice grew softer as he went on. I simply shrugged, biting back a huge smile. He noticed.

"Just wanted to try something new. Ready to go?" It seemed like I'd snapped Jace out of a daze.

"Uh, yeah." He shook his head, "Follow me." He wrapped an arm loosely around my waist, guiding me outside to the passenger side of a sleek, white Audi. I moved to get in, but he tightened his arm around me, successfully stopping me while giving me a mini stroke at the same time.

"You have to put this on." he held out a blindfold, and I attempted to grab it, but he jerked his hand away, "Let me rephrase that, _I'm_ putting this on you." Without waiting for my approval, he moved behind me, slipping the mask over my eyes, then securing it behind my head.

"Now just trust me." He whispered, and I jumped slightly at his close proximity, but without the cover of my hair, his warm breath fanned across my neck, making me shiver. He helped me into the car, then buckled me in before entering on his side. I heard the gentle roar of the car's engine, and the we started driving.

The drive was silent until we reached our location, because I had a feeling that Jace knew that I would be able to coax the surprise out of him if he talked.

Now, the anticipation was eating at me as he pulled me out of the car, then shut the door behind me. We were in Austrailia. We could be doing anything from surfing to skydiving. I stumbled as he attempted to lead me forwards... for what had to be the fifteenth time.

"Screw it." I heard Jace hiss, then my feet were off the ground and his arms held me. I instinctively threw my own around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder as he chuckled.

"Can I look yet?" I asked as I felt a cool blast of indoor air wash over me.

"Go ahead." Jace set me down, and I quickly undid the knot at the back of my head. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the light, but when they did, I gasped. This wasn't exactly what I'd expected, seeing as I thought he'd just take me to a giant chocolate fountain. No, it was much better.

"You didn't..." I turned to Jace, and, upon seeing his huge smile, I flung myself into his arms, and he swung me in a circle before setting me down again.

"Are we really here... Alone?" I asked in disbelief, taking in the huge movie theater's lobby.

"Yes," Jace came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist,

"We're here, and we're completely alone." At that, I let out an ear shattering shriek, then made a beeline for the snack bar, not even bothering to use the door as I hopped the counter. Jace, however, came in the ordinary (read: boring) way, and began to help me stack our favorite candies in my arms.

When I couldn't hold anymore, he pulled out a jumbo popcorn, filled it, then got us two extremely large Cherry Cokes.

"Theater one," he instructed as I backed out the door. I entered said theater and walked up to the tenth- a.k.a. Our- row to find a pile of blankets and pillows set up, and all the arm rests pulled back to create a couch like area.

"What movie are we watching?" I asked Jace as we set our items down.

"You'll just have to wait and see when I set it up." Jace wore his trade mark smirk as he began to walk away, but suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. He strode back over, covering the distance in record time, and we were chest to chest.

"One last thing," Slowly, he moved his hand up to the clip that held me hair, then he released it, the fiery waves rolling down my back. I opened my mouth to ream him out about how hard it was to get it that way, but my words were silenced when his fingers delved into my curls, combing through once before he brushed a stray hair away from my face, hand trailing along my cheek.

"Much better." And I thought that maybe this time, his voice was slightly uneven.

Throughout the movie, which just so happened to be _Now You See Me_, we'd gone through three soda refills, a whole jumbo popcorn, and thirteen assorted boxes of M&amp;M's, Milk Duds, Sour Patch Kids, and several more brands.

Both Jace and I had sugar crashed, and somehow, I ended up sprawled out on top of him across several seats.

"We have..." Jace yawned, tightening his hold on my waist, "We have dinner reservations."

"Why?" I groaned, pressing my face into the curve of his neck.

"Well I guess we could just stay here." he mumbled.

"Yeah," I replied, lips brushing his skin unintentionally, "That sounds like a really good idea."

I must've started hallucinating due to exhaustion, because I swear, I felt him shiver. He eased me back, so that my face was even with his.

"How the hell do you eat _that _much and not get fat?" He asked softly.

"I could ask you the same thing." I retorted halfheartedly, too tired to come up with a smart response.

"Because I'm a guy." Jace responded cockily, then another stray hair fell in my face as I looked down at him. He reached a hand up and placed the hair back behind my ear, stroking my cheek as his hand fell behind my neck. For a second, we just stared into each others' eyes.

"Why did you take my hair down?" I broke the silence, and Jace looked almost startled by the question.

"I-I told you," he seemed genuinely unprepared to answer, "It just... Looks better that way. It looks like Clary." His voice tapered at the end, and he began to pull me closer.

This time, the cameraman wasn't interrupting us. _Camera_ for some reason, the word resonated my brain, then I realized why. Jace was doing this for the _camera_. He wasn't about to kiss me because he was interested, he was doing it for the sake of appearances.

I jerked back, rising unsteadily to my feet, and Jace looked startled by my sudden movement.

"Clare, are you okay?" His voice was clear, nothing like it had been when Seelie was with him. Or Kailie. God I was so stupid, he obviously didn't have feelings for me if I didn't even affect him when we were a second away from kissing... Again.

"We've got to get to those reservations." I said simply. I stretched my arms, letting our a yawn as I woke up fully. When Jace still didn't move, I attempted to yank him off the chairs using the element of surprise, but he didn't budge, only staring at me in amusement.

"Why are you so faaat?" I whined, giving up trying to yank him off. He rose to his feet.

"It's not fat." He brought up his arm and flexed, "This is all muscle, Baby." I rolled my eyes, bending down and gathering the boxes, then threw them into the empty jumbo bucket. I shoved the trash into Jace's arms, then scampered down to the exit before he could give it back.

"For someone who was so tired a few minutes ago, you sure can run!" Jace yelled. I didn't bother with a response, knowing that, as soon as he threw the packages away, he would be chasing me for his revenge.

As predicted, he came bursting out of the theater only a second later. It wasn't long until his large strides overtook my smaller ones, and his body crashed into mine. Somehow, he twisted so that he took the brunt of the fall, but quickly pinned me under him. His legs pinned mine, and a single hand trapped my wrists above my head, but the other came to attack my sides. I laughed uncontrollably, defenseless against his tickling torture.

"I... give up!" I gasped, "Stop, stop!" Jace paused his assualt, golden eyes sparkling.

"What's the magic word?" he sang.

"Uh... Please? You win?" I tried, but Goldie simply shook his head.

"Nope." he declared aloud, "You have to say... Jace Wayland is a sexy beast." I opened my mouth to protest, but he wiggled his fingers menacingly, causing me to wince.

"Say it."

"Jace Wayland is a sexy beast..."

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

"JACE WAYLAND IS A SEXY BEAST! HAPPY?!"

"Very."

Jace released me, rising to his feet, then offering a hand down like a 'True gentleman'.

"Are you ready?" He asked politely, sickeningly sweet smile firmly in place. I took his hand, but instead of letting him help me up, I pulled him back to the ground.

"Yes, I am." I said as I got up, then walked calmly out the doors.

**Yes, another disappointment. Please don't kill me. Muahahah. Okaaay... so... RIGHT! What show were the two eliminated girls from? First response gets PM'd a MALEC PROPOSAL. :D. Oh, and I will go back and edit the last chapter, I realize what happened. FORGIVE ME! Annnyyyways... see ya'll later! Goodbye, my faithful followers!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	10. Shower

**Yes, it's two in the morning. Yes, I've been writing this since 10. Yes, I'm awesome. I also know that I won't have internet for the next week... and...**

**I GOT 200 FREAKING FOLLOWERS AND 100 FAVORITES I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH YOU ROCK!**

**I seriously can't believe it. You guys are all so awesome! You have absolutely no idea how much it means to me! And just because of 200, I threw in a little... well big... surprise for you guys. I hope you love it!**

**ClaraJoy: Don't ever think you have a crappy review, I appreciate everything you leave me! And I don't think I said it before, but when I read your review, I screamed cause you screamed**

**Gams2000: Can I just say, that day, I was obsessively checking my reviews, so I could tell whenever you finished a chapter :'D**

**Queen Daenerys Targaryen: Yeah... I skipped over the dinner :/ sorry, just couldn't think of anything interesting ;P**

**ClaceShipper: Yes, I mean to make all of the chapter titles as songs**

**Disclaimer: Well, you guys know. Cassie Clare owns all of the characters... Even though I wish I did... Maybe I could.. Misery style (those of you who've read Misery know what I mean)... JKJK I WOULD NEVER DO THAT! **

_You light me up inside_

_Like the fourth of July_

_Whenever you're around_

_I always seem to smile_

_And people ask me how_

_You're the reason why_

_I'm Dancin' in the mirror_

_And singing in the shower_

_-Shower, by Becky G_

I sat on the patio couch, my feet tucked under me. My sketchpad rested on my legs as I sketched the scenery around me. I stopped that sketch for the moment, and flipped back to an unfinished sketch of Jace, determined to complete it.

I smiled at the silence that surrounded me. Everyone else was either inside or at the pool. I'd hunted for about a half hour to find a spot just like this. Silent and Secluded. I finished the final strokes with my colored pencil, then set my hand down, closing my eyes and tipping my head back.

"I can't handle anymore right now!" I heard a male voice growl, the sound of his voice getting louder, "If I have to hear one more sob story, about how if they don't get picked, then their lives will be over, I will punch something! Oh, Clary, I didn't see you there..." I opened my eyes to see the one and only Chris Harrison in front of me, a cameraman following him.

"I hope I didn't bother you..." he smiled sheepishly, most likely embarrassed that I'd witnessed his outburst.

"Don't be." I laughed softly, motioning for him to sit beside me. I felt bad for the guy. I mean, if _I_ thought that some of the girls were annoying, he had to _talk_ to them and _listen_. I shivered at the thought of the task of listening to Seelie long enough to get some material for one of the interview things.

"So, how are you?" I asked once he sat down, and Chris looked taken aback by the question.

"Uh, I, I'm good..." He stared at me strangely, "Sorry, I'm just not used to getting asked about... well, me. Normally, Bachelorettes just want to know what the Bachelor thinks of them. Or they want to just be dramatic enough to get on camera. It gets so damn annoying when..." All of a sudden, his eyes grew wide.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to rant like that. I shouldn't anyways, I mean, it _was_ in the job description." I laughed.

"Well, you can go ahead and vent as much as you want," I patted his shoulder sympathetically, "I mean, we all need to let off some steam sometimes."

"Thank you, Clary." His smile was genuine this time, "I see now why you're the public favorite." My jaw dropped a little in shock, and Chris quickly covered his mouth. I mean, I knew that they'd started running episodes, considering it was week four by now, but _I _was the public favorite?

"Don't worry," I pulled my thoughts together, "I wont say anything to anyone." Chris let out a breath.

"Thank you." he pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head, "I tend to say things without thinking first." I chuckled, knowing that both Jace and I were the same way.

"Hey, I haven't done anything with you yet, would you like to do an interview?" Chris's words took me completely by surprise.

"I, uh," I wrung my fingers together, instantly clamming up, "You don't have to. I mean, I guess. God, I'm not good at this!" I buried my face in my hands, attempting to hide my burning cheeks. Chris laughed, and I peeked through my fingertips.

"C'mon." he said good naturedly, "This'll be great. America will love it, and it actually might be fun."

"Didn't you say you were done with interviews?" I raised my eyebrows. "Aren't you only supposed to raise one eyebrow." Chris shot back.

"Did Jace put you up to this," I narrowed my eyes, and Chris avoided my gaze.

"He did!" I exclaimed, then, after a while, let out an annoyed huff, "Might as well just get this over with." I climbed to my feet, starting towards the place that they had been recording interviews.

"What?" I asked upon seeing Chris's smirk.

"Nothing," his smirk grew into something that Jace _had_ to have taught him, "It's just that Jace told me you'd give in pretty quick."

I sat down on the chair that had been provided for me, and it faced both a camera and a large screen.

"So," Chris clapped his hands together, sitting in the other chair directly under the camera, "Some footage will play on that screen, and I'll ask you some questions about it. My voice will be edited out... most likely. But just tell me exactly how your feeling. None of the other girls see this."

"Gosh, you make it sound like you're my therapist." I joked, causing Chris to roll his eyes, "Oh, and will Jace see this?"

"No." Chris shook his head, "Now let's begin. Go ahead and roll the first one." The screen came to life with Jace and I on the group date. I heard Jace "instructing" me on what to do, and just a few beats before, his voice came over.

"Ready to do something more complicated?" Jace had asked.

"Yeah." I'd replied. I was surprised that the camera had caught the mischievous look that had passed between the two of us.

Surprisingly, Chris chose that moment to pause the film, which left Jace and I staring into each others' eyes. We hadn't pulled into a true frame, so my hand was on his shoulder, almost to the curve of his neck, and his rested softly on my waist. Our linked hands had fallen to our sides, and, to be honest, we looked like we were about to kiss. I didn't even try to resist my urge as I pulled out my phone and quickly snapped a picture, stashing it away- along with my mental picture- so I could draw the scene later. I looked to Chris, and my cheeks flamed at his expression.

"I want to maybe draw that later..." I trailed off, feeling the need to explain myself. Chris simply smiled and moved on.

"So, what were your thoughts in that exact moment?" Chris asked, and I smirked.

"That Jace and I were gonna shock the hell out of everyone there." I stated, the memory hitting me full fledged, "And that Jace stopped being nervous. The second he started dancing, he just... relaxed. He hasn't done that a lot since he's been here." By the end, I was kind of just speaking my thoughts aloud, not really paying attention to what I said.

"And what makes you think that?" Chris cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. 

"Well," I was on the verge of letting out the fact that he'd spent every night on the floor of my room, but I held myself back, "If you look at his body language even. He always seems to look for a way out, or if there are too many people in a room, he puts up his facade. You know, that one where he acts all 'I'm Jace and everybody loves me and I'm so hot and _*suave wink*_ I can get any girl I want'?"

"You know, I hate to break it to you, Clary, but in every tape I've watched with every other girl... That's what he's like the whole time." Chris snorted, "I think that's just his personality."

I smiled sadly. This was why Jace attracted only bimbos and airheads. Whenever he was uncomfortable, he didn't get shy, he got cocky and playerish. You had to actually take time to break past that exterior.

"It's not," was all I whispered softly, "Can we move on?" Chris simply nodded, and the tape resumed.

The cameraman fast forwarded until it reached Jace and I on the wicker couch at dinner. It was most likely when Jace and I had been having the _"special"_ talk, but our words were too soft to be picked up by the mic. I hadn't realized how close we had been, but as I watched, there was never even a foot of space between our bodies, and he was always touching me, whether it was holding my hand, or resting his hand on my back.

Suddenly, we were walking down a stairwell, then when we reached the bottomw, Jace and I talked for a brief moment, Jace stripping to his swim trunks in the process.

"Jace Wayland!" My shriek echoed from the speakers, causing real-time me to wince, "Don't you dare!" And then Jace was running towards the water with me in his arms.

"What was that, Fray?" He'd asked, and I could see his golden eyes flashing with amusement, "You want me to put you down?" And then he dropped me. The clip stopped right in the middle of my descent towards the water.

"So," I could see Chris was attempting- and failing- to contain his laughter, "What exactly went through your head through all of... that."

"Well..." I drew out the word, "I didn't know why the heck Jace lead me down those stairs, and then when he stripped... I had absolutely _no_ idea what the hell to think. When he picked me up, I think you get the gist of what was on my mind... When he dropped me, all I thought about was seeing his giant blonde head mounted on my wall, and during and after the water war... I was a little pissed that I lost."

Chris simply nodded, motioning for the cameraman to skip forward. The screen was paused yet again at a scene that made my breath hitch in my throat. Jace's arms were wrapped securely around my waist, and mine were around his neck, our bodies bressed together, his forehead on mine, our lips millimeters away from each other. Yet again, I brought up my phone and snapped a picture, oblivious to Chris's soft chuckles.

"So what were you feeling then?" Chris asked softly, as if afraid I would break if he spoke too loud.

"Amazing," the words seemed to flow from my mouth of their own accord, "It's better then anything I've ever felt before. I mean, I'm not gonna lie and say that I've never been kissed, but that almost kiss, the energy, the _electricity,_ was better than any kiss I've ever had."

"Did you know that you're one of the very few Bachelorettes that _hasn't_ gotten a kiss from out famous Bachelor yet?" Chris asked.

"I assumed," I smiled, not taken aback, knowing Jace, I'd expected nothing less.

"Well, would you want to kiss him if you got the chance?"

"Yes..."

"Well, it's a good thing that America thinks the same way as you do."

"What do you-"

"Hey, Chris, am I late?" My head snapped around at the sound of Jace's voice. The blonde stopped in his tracks as soon as he caught a glimpse of me. My eyes immediately flicked to the picture on the screen, an intense blush heating my face. Jace followed my line of sight, and when I looked at him, I was surprised to see a faint dusting of pink coloring his own cheeks.

"Well, that should be good for now, and I'll be going..." I rose to my feet, and was about to walk out when Chris called my name. I froze, turning to face him.

"Wait." a cunning smile that left an unsettling feeling in me lit up his face, "So, Jace, Clary and I were just talking, and I pointed out that she is one of the few Bachelorettes that you have not kissed yet." _Oh crap, this can't be happening_, I thought to myself, burying my face in my hands.

"And I was thinking," Chris plunged on, "that since our viewers would very much appreciate it, could you two maybe... have your first kiss now." The blush now extended from my cheeks all the way down my neck, and I was thoroughly embarrassed.

"That's okay, Jace," I mumbled, head down as I resumed my walk out, "I'll just-" The hand that grabbed my hip caused me to stop yet again.

"I'm up for it if Clary is," Jace spoke, spinning me to face him, "Are you?" When he spoke to me, his voice grew lower, more intimate. I gulped, taking a step closer.

"Maybe." _What the hell are you doing, Fray?!_

Before I could think anything else through, both of Jace's arms were securely around me, tugging me forward. I put my hands up, at first to brace myself, but then, they ended up pushing from his chest to around his neck. I could feel his chest rise and fall quickly and unsteadily against mine, but I was still slightly aware of the cameras, and the reason Jace was doing this. I would've pushed his away if I hadn't looked into those _damn eyes_. The second I did, I felt like I could drown in those golden pools, and I couldn't decipher the emotion that quickly flashed in them.

"It's okay," Jace whispered, "I've got you. It's me." I hadn't realized we'd moved closer until his warm breath fanned across my lips. I found my eyes drifting closed, and I raised up onto my toes.

I almost expected another spontaneous thing to stop us, but I felt the pressure of another pair of lips on mine. We both tightened our hold on each other, and the pressure grew, our lips moving blissfully in synch. It felt like there were fireworks going off inside me. I wouldn't be surprised if I caught fire right about now. The kiss wasn't needy and raw (probably half because I was holding back), but it was soft and sweet, Jace treating me like something delicate and precious. Jace's lips brushed mine yet again.

When we broke the kiss, both of us were breathing heavily, our foreheads not separating. I opened my eyes slowly, almost scared to look at his expression, but yet again, I couldn't decipher what I saw.

"Well, that was hot." my eyes snapped open all the way at the voice, but Jace didn't seem surprised, the smile that I hadn't noticed on his face only growing.

I whipped around, but Jace's arms were still locked on me, so my back stayed pressed to his chest, and his head rested atop mine. I gaped at the figure that stood grinning like the Cheshire Cat in the doorway.

"Close your mouth, you'll swallow flies"

**So... CLACE KISS FINALLY! They aren't together, but it sure as hell is a start... sort of... I mean, it _was _forced. AAAAND I left you guys on a cliffie *evil laugh* this is too fun. I've got a sort of random question for you guys this time... but how old do you think I am. I mean, if you had to guess, just by my writing. I don't know why, but I just want to know... and sadly, I've run out of prizes... Some suggestions for quick write prizes are definitely welcome! Okay... well I guess that's all... GOODBYE MY LOVEABLE, AWESOME, SUPERGREAT FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS AND FAVORITERS!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	11. A Little Party (Never Killed Nobody)

**Hey Guys! I'm not dead and I haven't given up on you! Lot's of stuff has been going on in my life, and I haven't exactly been able to write, and I'm so so so sorry. At least it wasn't 2 months like the last time :D. Yeah... I'm a horrible person :'D I can honestly say I missed you guys desperately though, and I am so very happy to be BACK IN BUSINESS! I know this chapter isn't my best, but the next ones will be better, I swear. It was hard figuring out a way to introduce everyone, so... Without further adue...**

(I only own the plot, blah blah blah :P)

_A little party never killed nobody_

_So we gonna dance until we drop_

_A little party never killed nobody_

_Right here right now is all we got_

_-A Little Party Never Killed Nobody, Fergie, Q-Tip, &amp; GoonRock_

**Third Person POV**

"Thank the Lord!" Isabelle exclaimed, bursting out of the van, "I'm FREE!" She made a show of hugging the ground as her five companions emerged. Alec rolled his eyes at the antics of his younger sister.

"Get up." He grabbed her arm, none too gently pulling her to her feet. The raven-haired girl quickly brushed herself off, glaring at each of the people in front of her. She opened her mouth, about to call her brother off, but Simon stepped in.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked, cutting his girlfriend off. He wrapped an arm around her, and immediately felt her relax.

"I guess we just get everyone rounded up in the main room." Izzy shrugged, voice much calmer than it had been before, "Or at least as many as you can find." The rest of the group murmured in agreement, then split into their respective pairs. Simon started walking, but Isabelle's hand wrapped around is wrist in an iron grip.

"Uh, where are we going?" Simon stumbled behind the Lightwood girl's purpouseful steps.

"I know where Clary and Jace are." She answered simply

"How?" Simon raised an eyebrow, now walking beside his girlfriend.

"Chris texted me." She replied, just as they came to a stop by a large door. Isabelle reached a hand out, knocking softly. A second later, the door swung out, and a man beckoned for the two to enter, quickly signaling them to be quiet as they walked. After what seemed like an eternity, the three stopped in an open doorway. Izzy's jaw dropped as the scene in front of her unfolded.

"Holy..." She heard Simon trail off behind her. Jace and Clary stood in front of them... full on making out. A few seconds later, Isabelle gained her voice.

"You owe me 20 bucks." She whispered in Simon's ear, then turned just in time to see Clary and Jace's lips separate, their foreheads still touching.

"Well, that was hot." Isabelle couldn't control the words escaping their mouth. She smiled as the small redhead whipped around to face her in excited shock.

"Close your mouth, you'll swallow flies." Simon piped up

**Clary POV**

My shock turned to unbridled joy as I realized that, yes, Simon and Izzy were really there, but I quickly concealed it.

"Never supposed to have met," I chided myself silently.

"Hi." I put on a soft, shy smile, "I'm Clary, I don't believe we've met." Izzy took the hand that I offered, shaking it firmly.

"I'm Isabelle, Jace's sister, and this is my fiancee, Simon." Isabelle said. _FIANCEE?!_

"She's just kidding!" Simon butted in before I could yell, "And we met on the group date."

"Ah, right..." My reply was distant as I tried to process what happened. There was a drawn out few seconds of awkward silence before Jace (who had released me) cleared his throat.

"Uh... We should probably go to the main room... to, uh, meet the other girls." He pointed out. We all nodded, silently filing out of the interview room. Isabelle and I lagged behind Jace and Simon, who, awkwardness forgotten, were now talking enthusiastically about something I couldn't hear.

"What was that?!" I hissed as soon as the cameras were out of range. Isabelle blushed, looking at the ground.

"I'm just... trying to drop some hints..." she mumbled, wringing her fingers as she walked.

"Real subtle, Iz." I teased, then had to bite my lip to contain the laughter that threatened to escape.

"Shut up." Izzy bumped me lightly with her shoulder, fighting the smile that was spreading across her face.

"I call maid of honor!" I whispered as we came into where all of the girls were gathered. Before the girl could say anything, I jogged over to Helen and Aline, who were both sitting on the floor, whispering excitedly.

"Hey!" I grabbed their attention as I plopped down next to Aline.

"Hey, Clare." They responded in unison, making me roll my eyes.

"Hey, aren't those the guys from the group date?" Aline asked, "Do you think we're having a dance lesson?"

"Maybe." Helen shrugged.

"I don't think so..." I trailed off as Jace called our attention up to where he and the other six stood.

"So," He clapped his hands together, "Some of you may recognize the guys here from the dance date. But I have something to confess. None of these people are part of Idris dance. These are most of the absolute most important people in my life, and I know the Bachelors usually wait until the last few to meet the family, but they're very... persistant. So why don't you guys introduce themselves." Jace stepped back, offering the floor to the others, but stepped up again before anyone else could speak.

"And one more thing," he added, "A little...erm... bonus game. You have to guess who's in couples. And because there are four guys and only two girls, you can't use elimination. Good luck." I buried my face in my hands as Jace stepped back. This was not going to go well.

"I'm Alec." I looked up as the introductions started, "Jace's brother."

"I'm Simon." Simon stepped up next, "I've known Jace since third grade when I accidentally threw jello at his head."

"I'm Maia," The brunette waved good naturedly, "I've known Jace since... well since Simon accidentally hit Jace with the Jello that was meant for me." I laughed, remembering the food fight... that I'd started... by throwing cake at both Jace and Simon.

"I'm Isabelle." My eyes grew wide at her icy tone, "Also Jace's sister. You hurt him, I cut you." Isabelle passed her glare over each and every one of the girls, me included.

"I'm Magnus." My mouth dropped as the tall man stepped forwards, "I've known Jace since... Well, I was friends with Alec first, and I stayed the night, but their house is so big that Jace didn't know, so when he saw me in the kitchen the next morning, he thought I was a burglar, and hit me with a fire extinguisher."

My mind barely registered the words coming out of his mouth, because I was firmly stuck on the fact that he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. And his hair was flat. And he had no glitter. What. The. Hell. Then, it hit me that no one could know about Magnus's sexuality, due to the little game Jace had going on, so he was going to have to dress like that for the entire show. I bit my lip, shoulders shaking with laughter, and Magnus shot me a quick glare as he stepped back.

"Well," Jace stepped up again, "These... erm... _delightful_ people will be with us for the rest of the show, they'll be spending most of their time with you bachelorettes, and they might tag along on some group dates... They'll probably spy on some one on one dates... and I'm sorry for anything and everything they do, say, or break. Now, well, that's all."

**3 hours later**

Aline, Helen and I walked aimlessly through the hotel's gardens, an awkward silence weighing us down.

"Okay, we need to get the elephant out of the room." Aline blurted, stunning Helen and I, "What do you guys think of Jace's family?" Helen's eyes grew wide.

"What are you _thinking_?!" she hissed, "They could hear us!" I rolled my eyes.

"You guys are acting like they'll kill you or something." I snorted, "What do you think of them."

"Well..." Aline's eyes darted around, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Jordan, Maia, Simon, and Magnus were nice enough, but Alex and Isabelle were kinda rude."

"Yeah." Helen agreed, the look on her face relieved, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that."

"One, it's _Alec, _not Alex." I told them, "And two, Helen, if a bunch of girls were all fighting for your brother, what would your first instinct be. You too Aline, if you had one."

"I guess I'd try to scare off the ones who aren't serious, if I'm being 100% honest." Helen admitted, and Aline nodded in agreement.

"But how do we get past that?" Aline asked, "How do we get them to like us?" I opened my mouth to speak, but something else caught my attention. _Animals_ by Maroon 5 was playing somewhere in the garden.

The three of us followed the noise curiously, previous question forgotten. We turned a corner only to be met with an interesting- and mentally scarring- sight. Alec was grinding, yes _grinding_, without a shirt, on a mortified Simon, to the song Animals. Maia, Jordan, Izzy, and Magnus were all sitting on the ground laughing, and I put two and two together. They were playing truth or dare.

When we heard the giggle escape Helen, Aline and I were done for, and soon, the three of us were laughing as hard as we could. Alec immediately stopped, and everyone's eyes were on us. Our laughter slowly died out as both Alec's and Simon's faces grew red.

"Having fun?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Having trouble raising two eyebrows?" Magnus piped up, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Truth or dare?" I asked Alec, who was still reluctantly doing his dare. He nodded miserably.

_Help me,_ he mouthed, and I heard Helen laugh.

"Sorry, but you're on your own." Aline butted in, and Isabelle laughed.

"Do you wanna play?" Izzy asked, the coldness from earlier gone. "Um, uh, yeah!" Helen managed, and I smiled.

"Sorry about earlier." Iz apologized, "I'm not that much of a bitch... all the time. I promise. It's just protective instincts over our little Jacey." I rolled my eyes, then Aline, Helen and I sat down in the open seats next to her as the music ended, Aline and Helen still seeming wary of the group.

"Free at last!" Alec yelled, collapsing between Aline and I. Simon just sat down on the other side of Isabelle, silent and pale.

"So," Magnus looked at the three of us, "You've probably played truth or dare before, but we add a little twist. If you don't want to do truth or dare you take a shot instead of stripping!"

"I'm in!" I raised a hand, smiling.

"So am I!" Aline called.

"Me too!" Helen immediately joined.

"So," Simon smirked, narrowing his eyes at me,

"Clary, right?" I gulped, nodding hesitantly. "So, truth or dare?" He asked, and I could almost see the devilish thoughts swirling around in his mind.

"Truth," I answered instinctively, but by Simon's reaction, I knew it was a mistake.

"Describe in detail your feelings for Jace Wayland." He responded, not skipping a beat. The rest of the group leaned towards me in anticipation, and I shifted uncomfortably.

"Shot." I blurted after a few seconds. Sighing in disappointment, Simon tossed me the bottle of Jack Daniel's along with a shot glass. I filled it to the top, quickly gulping down the burning alcohol.

"Simon," I leveled him with a truly evil smile, "Truth or Dare?"

"Uh... N-No pass backs." Simon stuttered.

"No, no, no!" Magnus dismissed, "There's nothing in the rules against it. I would _very _much like to see this." I met Izzy's gaze, winking quickly before turning back to Simon.

"Dare." He answered, seemingly proud of foiling what he thought was my plan.

"Okay," I let my smile drop as if I was disappointed, then pretended to ponder for a minute, "I dare you to tell me..." Simon's face fell as he realized that there really had been no way of escape, "If you had a girlfriend, how long, exactly, would it take for you to propose to her, and how would you do it." Everyone's eyes darted to him, one pair especially curious.

"Erm... Uh..." He visibly squirmed under Isabelle's stare, "Just hand me the damn bottle and let me chug it. With you out for blood, it would have the same result anyway."

I smirked triumphantly, tossing him the whiskey. He tentatively filled a clean shot glass, tipping it back and letting the liquid flow down his throat. Aline and Helen's brows were furrowed, and they were clearly confused as to why he wouldn't answer.

"Aline," Simon turned to her for the first time, "Truth or dare...?"

**TIME LAPSE...**

I groaned as the light seeped through my eyelids, my head pounding like someone was using it as a drum. My stomach churned, and I flipped over so that my face was buried in the pillow.

I tried to recollect my memories from the night before. The last thing I remember was Alec challenging me to a drinking competition, and then... Nothing.

The nausea passed and I smirked. For some reason, I'd never had hangovers. Only a brief flash of one when I first woke up. Sighing, I flipped onto my side and cracked open my eyes. I took in the sight of my room. Alec, Magnus, Aline, Helen, Izzy, and Simon were sprawled out on the floor, and Maia and Jordan were curled up on the chair in the corner. Not wanting to deal with everyone at the moment, I flipped to the other side to be met with a pair of golden eyes. I gasped, almost falling off the bed.

"Well, look who sobered up." Jace smirked.

"Shit..." I muttered. Things just got a hell of a lot more interesting.

**As I said, not much of a chapter, but I at least wanted to get something out there. So... What do you guys think happened? Obviously, Jace saw them drunk. Did anyone else? Did Clary do anything to Jace? O_o. The next chapter is coming soon! Review some predictions. I wanna see what you guys think! I'm so happy to be back, my faithfuls**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	12. Arms

AM. BACK! And I'm alive! I love you guys, and I'm so sorry, but life got in the way and yeah. I'll try to keep this short. I'll update whenever I get the chance, but there might be gaps, just as a warning. Thank all of you for being so supportive throughout this and I added an extra long chapter with a couple goodies to make up for my absence.

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns most of the stuff. The Bachelor on ABC owns a little. And I own the plot. Yup.

Previously:

_"Well, look who sobered up." Jace smirked._

_"Shit..." I muttered. Things just got a hell of a lot more interesting._

I gulped, suddenly speechless. My mouth bobbed open and closed as I tried to form words, the corner of Jace's mouth drawing farther and farther up.

"Whatdidwedo?" The word tumbled out of my mouth in a rush. Luckily, Jace had known me all of my life, so it wasn't hard for him to decipher my message.

"What did _you guys_ do," Jace motioned to everyone on the ground, "or what did _we_ do?" He pointed his finger to me, then himself.

"What do you mean?!" My voice came out in a shrill whisper, "_We_ did something?"

"Well..." Jace trailed off suggestively, and my mouth formed a perfect 'o'.

For a second, the two of us were absolutely still, the room so silent, you could hear a pen drop. Suddenly, I snapped out of my stupor and lifted the sheets, looking down at my body to see Jace's t-shirt wrapping around me. Only Jace's t-shirt. In a moment of total shock and stupidity, I shoved back, attempting to get off the bed, but Jace's strong arms wrapped around my waist, and pulled me to his chest.

"Let... Me... Go..." I struggled against his hold until I tired out, finally looking up and meeting his golden eyes and triumphant smile.

"Calm down." He freed one arm and used that hand to ruffle my hair, then smooth it back down before I killed him.

"We didn't _do_ anything." He continued.

"Thank God!" I breathed, relaxing immediately.

"Am I really that bad?" Jace laughed, but I could see the tiniest bit of hurt in his eyes.

"No, you're not!" I denied, "But... I just... I don't... I wouldn't..." I didn't know how to resolve the situation. "Gah!" I gave up, "I would not be absolutely completely repulsed by... Ugh! If we were the last people on Earth, I wouldn't be completely turned off by-" Jace's free hand came to cover my mouth.

"Clare," he chuckled, and I was happy to see the hurt absent from his gaze, "calm down, I get it. Now do you want to know what happened last night, or not?" I nodded, but he still didn't remove his hand.

Fed up, I glared at him, but when all he did was give me a cheeky smile in return, I flicked my tongue out, licking his hand.

"Kinky," Jace wiggled his eyebrows, and I settled him with yet another glare. "Fine," He sighed dramatically, finally releasing my face. I took in a deep breath, smiling happily.

"So," he started, "basically, I found you guys drunk as hell in the garden. I didn't know where to put you guys, so I just walked back here and you guys followed me. _You_ couldn't walk straight, so I picked you up. Izzy and Magnus started doing that thing where they whisper, look at us, then whisper again. I ignored them, we got back here, and they all kind of crashed. You, however, were a different story. I tried to keep you from taking off your clothes, but you wouldn't listen, saying something about the "damn things being too tight". Yes, I turned around, and I just tossed you my shirt without thinking. I got you into the bed, but you wouldn't let go of my arm. You asked me to, and I quote, "cuddle with you like a teddy bear", so I did."

"And that was all?" I confirmed a few seconds after he'd stopped speaking.

"Yup, that's it." I met his golden gaze, and he held it, but I'd known him long enough to tell that he was lying, despite the fact that he wasn't flinching. I narrowed my eyes.

"What aren't you telling me, Jace?" I asked, and the surprise in his eyes was his tell all. He was keeping _something_ from me, and he knew that I knew.

"What aren't you telling _me_?" He shot back, and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" I asked, since, as far as I knew, there was nothing I hadn't told him. Nothing except... He couldn't know. The smug bastard smirked at me, knowing he had me cornered.

"You know exactly what I mean," his golden eyes sparkled, "and I will find out _exactly_ what that thing you've been keeping from me _since this show started_ is."

_Like hell you will, _I thought to myself.

Suddenly, a groan sounded from the floor, and Jace and I both turned to see who it had been. Isabelle had shifted, just waking up, and it seemed to have started a ripple effect, because everyone in the room started moving around. For a second, Jace and I watched them in silence, then, the realization that the only thing I had on was his shirt, and the fact that he had no shirt on, came over both of us simultaneously. I stared into his panicked golden eyes, somehow coming to the conclusion that rolling over to the other side of him and shoving him off the bed was the answer. He let out a startled grunt as he hit the floor, staring at me with a _what the hell_ look. I flailed my arms in a manner that I hope conveyed _I don't freaking know_.

"Well, while this has been delightfully entertaining, I feel inclined to help." I jumped at the sound of Magnus's whisper, my head snapping over to find his catlike eyes glittering with amusement as he watched us, "Jace, why don't you take my shirt. It will look a lot less... incriminating if I am seen as the one that was half-dressed. I can say it was simply an act of charity after a dare that left me inclined to give our dear sweet Clary some cover." I tilted my head, looking at Jace out of the corner of my eye, and saw him shrug. In one swift movement, Magnus tugged his shirt over his head, tossing it to Jace.

The blonde boy put it on in the nick of time, because, not a second later, a groan sounded from Aline, who began to stretch her arms and sit up.

"What the hell happened last night?" Aline asked, voice gravelly from sleep. The girl winced, grabbing her head and lying back down.

"On second thought, don't tell me," she mumbled, "talking makes too much noise." I couldn't control my laughter at that point, and Aline simply raised a middle finger at me. But I guess we weren't talking as softly as we meant to, because Alec stirred yawning as he began to sit up, followed by Isabelle, then Simon, then Helen, then Jordan. The last to wake up was Maia, who, courtesy of Jordan, was pushed off the chair. I was almost crying as Maia glared at her sheepish boyfriend through wild hair.

"Sorry," Jordan offered, shrugging innocently. I heard the string of cuss words that Maia mumbled under her breath and bit my lip so hard it hurt just to keep from dying.

"Okay!" I announced loudly, causing most of the others in the room to flinch, "Why don't you all go back to your rooms and take some warm showers and drink coffee or something." Magnus, Alec, Izzy, Simon, Jordan, and Maia all mumbled their agreements. Aline and Helen just sat staring at me, dumbfounded.

"How do you not have a brutal hangover?" Helen finally asked, and I laughed.

"Let's just say that my brother groomed me well in the ways of drinking." I answered cryptically. It was true. Since I got into high school, Jonathan had coached me on my drinking and built up my tolerance in a certain way (I have no idea how) so that I could get drunk without having a hangover. Yes, what a responsible brother I have. I have to admit that I still love the idiot. Luckily, as the rest stood up and filed out, they were all too drunk to realize that Jace had, in fact, not been there before.

He closed the door behind Isabelle, who was the last one, right after she tossed me a _very_ obvious wink. I stuck my tongue out at the shut door and Jace snorted. He walked over, collapsing on top of the bed, and on top of _me_.

"Get... Off me... You whale." I managed, but he simply laughed. Suddenly, he was straddling my waist.

"You really don't think you can get away with calling me that, right?" He held up his hands, wiggling his fingers menacingly.

"No!" My eyes grew wide, "Don't you-" My words were cut off as Jace's hands attacked my sides, and I squealed. It was actually funny that both of us conveniently forgot that I was only in a shirt and underwear.

"Okay." Aline plopped down next to Helen and me, obviously recovered, "This is the second meeting in the same week, what could they be doing now?" I shrugged, truly at a loss. Jace hadn't told me that anything big was going on today.

"Maybe an activity with the entire group?" Helen said, a questioning note to her tone.

"Girls!" Jace called, and the girls quieted down, turning their attention to him, "I know, it's another meeting, but I promise nothing's wrong. I just wanted to announce that each of you are getting individual time with my... family. No cameras, no mics, no me. Just you guys and them. I'm sorry." Isabelle smacked Jace's arm, and Maia stuck her tongue out at him. The two girls then stepped up.

"Well," Isabelle spoke, "we will be calling you guys throughout the week, and... Yeah, that's pretty much it. Our first victim will be..." Izzy motioned to Maia, who stepped up, scanning the crowd.

"You." She pointed to Seelie, who rose from her seat with a smug smile. The blonde followed my friends into the hall. I smirked, actually feeling a little bad for her. The poor girl had no idea what she was in for.

It was the rose ceremony in two hours. And I still hadn't been called in for my "interrogation". I know it was stupid, but I was nervous. I mean, I _was_ a bachelorette, and... Gah I kind of hated Jace for making me feel this way. Of course, the one and only Kailie Blue decided that was a _great _moment to make an appearance.

"Poor carrot top," the blonde fake pouted, "hasn't been called yet. Maybe he already knows your going home and just wanted to save his family's valuable time. Not waste it on you."

"They always save the best for last." I retorted, "And you sure pay a lot of attention to me for 'hating' me." She opened her mouth to fire back a remark, but at that moment, I heard my name. I turned to find Isabelle half-leaning out the door, motioning me to follow her.

"Oh," I couldn't resist the jab at Kailie, "looks like I have to go." I waved at her mockingly, swaying my hips as I walked away.

"How long were you standing there and waiting?" I mumbled as I met Izzy in the doorway.

"Just since that bimbo walked up." she shrugged, "I wanted to give you the perfect exit."

"This is why I love you." I threw my arms around her, and she laughed.

"Now hurry up shorty." Iz teased, grabbing my arm and jogging down the hall, "Everyone wants to see you." She stopped at a blank door, pulling a key from her pocket and turning it in the lock. She opened the door, and we both walked in, but the others were too engaged in their conversations to notice us. Izzy's mouth tipped down at the corners, and she released me. I could tell she made a point to slam the door, as it was what startled everyone into looking at us.

For a minute, everything was completely silent. Finally, Simon yelled out my name, launching up and barreling into me and wrapping his arms around me. The others quickly joined in the hug as we exchanged happy greetings, then sat down in a circle.

"So..." I smiled, glad to get a moment with the friends I had missed, "How are you guys?!"

"Normal," Alec answered, "a little exhausted from the-"

"_Normal?_" Magnus exclaimed, cutting off his boyfriend, "How can you call this _NORMAL?!_ I am forced to wear these... these RAGS for the mere entertainment of a silly game. My hair is _flat,_ Clary. FLAT! And I have NO GLITTER! Do you know what dreadful _torture_ that is?! _Do you?!_" By then, I was rolling on the floor, almost in tears as Magnus narrowed his catlike eyes at me.

"I'm sorry," I rose my hands in surrender when I finally regained control, "it must be terrible." Magnus nodded, not exactly catching my half-sarcasm.

"So, how are you-u" Maia sang, wiggling her eyebrows. I could feel my forehead crinkle in confusion.

"She meant how are you doing with Jace." Jordan attempted to clarify, "Have you guys.. done anything?" He joined in on the eyebrow wiggle.

"No!" I exclaimed when I realized what they were trying to not-so-subtly hint at, "NO! I mean... Why would I... But it's Jace... And he... And I..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. Unfortunately, Alec did.

"A little birdie told us you have a little _cru-ush_ on him." He sang, smirking as a blush rose to my cheeks. I whipped to face Isabelle and Simon.

"Which one of you spilled?" I demanded, and they refused to meet my eyes.

"Are you kidding?" I yelled, "Both of you?"

"Hehe..." Simon laughed awkwardly, "Surprise?" I sighed in defeat, burying my face in my hands.

"I might have a teeny, tiny little crush on Jace." I admitted, and the group cheered.

"SHE'S IN LOVE" Magnus yelled.

"I CALL MAID OF HONOR!" Isabelle chimed in.

"HELL NO I CALLED THAT A LOOOONG TIME AGO!" Simon joked, and I kind of wish the floor could swallow me.

"Okay, okay." Iz relented, "Let's stop teasing our poor Clary."

"Thank the Lord!" I sighed in relief.

"And I also guess we owe you a little something," Isabelle continued, "so we're gonna make you look b-e-a-_utiful_ for tonight."

"Wait what?" I stood up in alarm, slowly backing to the door, "I never agreed to a makeover!"

"Well isn't that too bad." Was the last thing Isabelle said before tackling me to the ground as I tried to escape.

They took an hour. They plucked and poked and combed until I was ready to slap them, then finally deemed me ready to see my self. I got up, unsteady in the six inch heels Isabelle had shoved my feet into. I stumbled ungracefully to the full body mirror, where I couldn't believe my reflection. The girl that stared back at me had to be someone else.

She had emerald eyes, accented by a tight, green, halter neck top that, while not slutty, admittedly showed her... assets off a little bit. This girl had fiery hair pinned up in an intricate hairdo, smoky eyelids with longs lashes, high cheekbones, and full, red lips. She wore a simple pair of ripped skinny jeans and black stiletto booties on the bottom. The girl staring back at me could not be Clary Fray, but she was. The group walked up behind me, admiring their work.

"Now was that so bad?" Magnus teased, and I stuck my tongue out at him in the mirror, afraid that if I took my eyes off myself, everything would disappear. Like Cinderella at midnight.

"C'mon." Izzy grabbed my elbow, "We need to go make Jace faint." She held me steady until we reached the stairs, where she wiggled out from under my arm and motioned me to go on my own. I gave her a distinct evil eye as I began descending the spiraled steps. Finally, I reached the bottom, where the casual cocktail party was in full swing.

"Follow me." Iz once again grabbed my arm, dragging me away from other people, and it was then that I noticed that the others were not following anymore. Isabelle finally stopped after we had gone outside and had reached a beautiful, candlelit gazebo that I hadn't previously discovered.

"...have to be at the party." The annoyed voice reached my ears. My mouth dropped, and I turned, trying to walk away, but Izzy simply grabbed me and spun me around, holding me in place by my shoulders.

"Just follow us." I heard Jordan say, "Believe me, it'll be worth it."

"Hell yeah it will." Simon agreed, and the six came into view. Luckily, Jace was turned and talking to the rest, too engaged to notice me. That is until Isabelle decided to take matters into her own hands.

"SURPRISE!" she yelled as Jace hit the first step of the gazebo. His head snapped our way, and his mouth dropped. I blushed as his golden eyes seemed to blaze in the firelight, scanning me up and down.

"Oh, and we... uh... made _sure_ there were no cameras here, just saying." Alec announced awkwardly, but Jace didn't look away from me, finally meeting my eyes.

"Wow." this time I definitely heard the word, and he approached me slowly, never pulling his eyes from mine. Suddenly, it felt like it was him and me. Just us. He didn't stop until his chest almost pressed against mine.

"Who tied you down-" He cleared his throat, obviously noticing the husky note to his voice (Yes, I shivered, okay, sue me!), "Who tied you down and did... that?" Suddenly, a wave of self consciousness washed over me.

"D-Do you not like it?" I mentally cursed myself for stuttering.

"Like it?" If it was possible, he moved a little closer, "I love it. But what did I tell you about your hair?" I stared up at him in confusion until, ever so slowly, his hand moved behind my head, undoing the clip and running his hair through my newly freed locks.

"Hey-!" The protest from Isabelle was barely noticeable, as it was quickly smothered by someone else. Suddenly, _Arms_ by Christina Perri began to play softly.

"May I have this dance?" Jace asked, voice almost a whisper.

"Of course." I replied, without a second of hesitation. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me as close as humanly possible, and I rested mine around his neck. We slowly swayed back and forth to the music, and I wished I could tell him. I wished I could somehow convey everything I felt without words, but just as meaningful.

But somehow, the way he held me close made me forget about that. It made me forget about everything. All i could think about was his scent, how his eyes would be glowing if they were open, how tight he was holding me. All I could think about was the man I loved. There, with my head rested in the crook of his neck and my eyes closed, I could admit it.

I could admit to myself that I loved him with all my heart and soul, and there was no doubt about it. He was the one I lived for, and the one I would die for. In that moment, I didn't think about him not reciprocating my feelings. I just relished in the lightness of finally accepting what I had known for a long time, and accepting it fully and wholeheartedly.

The song faded to and end, and we stopped dancing, time having flown by way too fast for me. Neither of us moved our arms, but we stared into each other's eyes. Just his molten golden gaze made my heart swell in a way it never had before. Slowly, as if he would break me if he moved to fast, Jace tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. He trailed his hand along my face as he brought it to his side, where he pulled something out for his pocket.

_A rose_, I realized as he brought it up, tucking it behind my ear, and into my hair. No words were needed as I stood on my toes, brushing my lips against his cheek. When I looked at him again, he was staring at me, almost in shock, and my cheeks grew red. I started to pull away in embarrassment, but his arms tightened around me.

Suddenly, _his_ lips were pressed against _my_ cheek, but unlike mine, it wasn't quick. My eyes fluttered closed as I relished in the soft feel of them against my skin.

"Awww!" I heard Magnus coo.

"That's adorable." Simon, surprisingly, joined in.

"Shut _UP!"_ Alec interrupted, "You guys are ruining the moment!"

But they didn't realize that absolutely nothing on Earth could ruin this moment for me.

SO? DID YA LIKE IT? It wasn't a kiss... quite, but all in time young padawans. I love you guys so much and this chapter's question is this: I'm getting a horse (EEEEEEK) and which nae do you guys like more? Castiel or Chasing Blue (Cas and Blue for shorts) He's a reddish chestnut thoroughbred (for those of you who know what that means) and any other name suggestions are welcome. I love you my faithfuls and I'm glad to be back! Until next time my faithful followers!

-Shadowhunter5801


	13. BIG CONTEST

**HEY GUYS! I know, not quite a chapter, but, hey, it's something IMPORTANT. (peanutbutter11 read the P.s. too)**

**I wanted to let you guys know... I'M RUNNING A ONESHOT COMPETITION IN CELEBRATION OF MEETING 300 (THANK YOU I LOVE YOU GUYS SO SO MUCH YOU ARE AMAZING)! What I want you guys to do is write a oneshot using the character's personalities/universe from ****_this_**** fanfiction. Rules are...**

**1\. The oneshot CAN be a chapter from a different character's POV (You don't have to use Jace, be creative (; )**

**2\. This oneshot- if it's not from another character's POV- must be ****_after _****the end of the show. It ****_cannot_**** be while they're on the set of "The Bachelor"**

**3\. The deadline will be when I post the chapter that brings the ****_show_**** to an end (No, not the entire fan fiction, I'm keeping it going after their off the set, and the show is over). I will give at ****_least_**** a week's notice.**

**4\. BE CREATIVE! Really get into it! Have fun with these, and they are ****_never_**** too long, I ****_love _****reading this stuff (hence why I'm on fanfiction and watt pad 24/7)**

**5\. It ****_has_**** to be PM'd to me. I hoped this was implied, but I just want to make sure so that I don't have a bunch of giant one shots in my reviews :'D (even though that would be kind of awesome). UNLESS you are a guest on fanfiction, and still want to participate, but you have to leave a name so that, if you win, you'll be able to get credit.**

**THE TOP THREE WILL BE PUT UP AS CHAPTERS (NOT IN THE ACTUAL PLOTLINE, BUT THEY'LL STILL BE AN UPDATE.. KIND OF LIKE A CHAPTER)**

**FIRST PLACE: Their oneshot will be posted (with full credit awarded, of course), and I will write them a oneshot on whatever they want in Clace. I AM YOUR PUPPET. You tell me what to write and I write it. PLUS you also get the second place prize**

**SECOND PLACE: You will get a sneak peak at the next chapter (after the end of the show) before anyone else, AND get your chapter posted, AND third place's prize.**

**THIRD PLACE: Your chapter will be posted, and a chapter will be dedicated to you. If you have written any fanfictions, I will advertise the one of your choice**

**MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR (as said by Suzanne Collins and )! I can't wait to read your guys' stuff**

**-Shadowhunter5801**

**P.S. No peanutbutter11, that is not a good way to make an impression, but I respect your ability to read it during class. ;'D. just out of curiosity, what class?**


	14. Happy Birthday

HELLO MY FOLLOWERS! No, you're not hallucinating. This is an update that _hasn't_ taken a 2 month wait. I know. I'm awesome... but you guys are gonna hate me... A lot... So be happy now... Hehe... But I _do_ want to thank you guys for getting me to and passed 300 FOLLOWERS AND REVIEWS! This is amazing, and I wish I could send cupcakes to all of you. And I just have to say that half this chapter was written last Sunday, because I had inspiration. I put on my nice dress, did my makeup, did my hair so that I could... Go to dinner with my new fiancee... LOL NO JK I DID ALL THAT BUT INSTEAD OF DINNER I CURLED UP IN A BLANKET AND WROTE FANFICTION #foreveralone.

All characters belong to Cassandra Clare and The Bachelor on ABC

I stared up at the stars, sea foam barely brushing my feet while the waves rolled in. I turned to my right, smiling softly when I saw Jace too staring up at the stars. His hand moved slowly, and his fingers twined with mine. This date, even though it was ending, was unforgettable. I took a deep breath, mentally prepping myself. I had to do this now before I lost my courage.

"Jace," My voice seemed to cut through the silence like a knife.

"Hm?" He turned to look at me, golden eyes glowing in the moonlight.

"There's something I need to tell you." I paused for a second, then opened my mouth to talk again, but Jace cut me off.

"I already know." He spoke, and my eyes grew wide.

"I- I don't think you do." I stuttered.

"Oh really?" I didn't like the smile that grew on Jace's face. It was the same inconsiderate one he offered to all of his one night stands.

"Because what I know," he continued, "is that you're in love with me." He rose to my feet, and I unconsciously followed, shock filling me.

"H-How?!" My voice was frantic and almost unrecognizable.

"You don't think you're _that_ subtle, do you?" He scoffed, cold laughter following his words, "You don't think I noticed how absolutely _desperate_ you are? It's pretty obvious. That's why I took you on this date. To tell you you're going home."

"_What?!"_ My voice came out shrill, tears already falling, "A-at least give me a ch-chance. Please."

"Why would I do that when I'm already marrying Kaelie?" He asked, voice not accusing, but sincere, making at all the more painful.

Suddenly, the scenery changed. I was standing next to Isabelle and Maia, holding a bouquet of flowers, and Jace stood at the center of a beautifully decorated awning. He held the hands of none other than Kailie Blue, who was dressed in my dream wedding gown.

"Do you, Jace, take Kailie as your lawfully wedded wife?" A priest asked.

"I do." He spoke the words with a love I had never heard come from him.

"And do you, Kailie, take Jace as your lawfully wedded husband." The priest repeated. The blonde looked away from Jace, an evil smile spreading across her face, and her eyes locking with my own as she spoke the words,

"I do."

I sat up in my bed, breathing fast, tears streaming down my face. I buried my face in my hands, crying harder.

"It wasn't real." I said to myself, "It was just a dream. Just a..." I broke off as the sobs overtook me. I had to admit that I was a little pissed at myself for being this torn up over a _guy_, but that guy was Jace, and that kind of leveled it out.

"Hey," a hand pulled at my wrists, prying my own hands away from my cheeks. I finally looked up and met Jace's golden eyes.

"Hey," he wiped the tears away with his thumb, "It's okay. I'm right he-" I cut him off as I threw myself into him, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in his neck.

"Don't leave me," I whispered softly, "Please don't leave me."

"Shhh," He lifted me from the bed easily, gathering me into his lap, "I'm not leaving you. Why would you ever think I would?"

"Nightmare." I managed to speak through choked breaths. He set his chin on top of my head, stroking my hair. He eased me back so that I had to meet his gaze.

"C'mon," he tucked a stray hair behind my ear, "Let's put you back to bed." He set me back inside my cocoon of sheets, slipping into the bed beside me, and leaving his own blankets where they sat on the floor. He pulled me tight to his chest, but by that time sleep was already overcoming me once again.

"I will never leave you Clarissa Fray." I heard him whisper. Then, I swear I felt his lips press to the top of my head, but, then again, it could've been my imagination.

"Would you stop it?!"

"_I'm _not the one doing anything"

"Will you idiots just SHUT UP?!"

Yes, these were the amazing sounds that I woke up to on my first day in Rome. I groaned flipping over and burying my face in my pillow. Then my pillow started to laugh. My eyes shot open to see that I was snuggled up very close to Jace. It took a few seconds for me to process that our legs were tangled together, and he was holding me tight in his arms.

"What..." I yawned, "What are you doing on my bed?" I asked Jace as our friends bickered.

"You don't remember?" He asked, brow furrowed in what looked like a mix of confusion and concern.

"No..." I trailed off, trying to remember, and then it all flooded back. My initial reaction was sadness, but then I remembered what Jace had said to me, and the fact that he was here now, and suddenly, the sadness disappeared. I could see the concern on Jace's face, so I offered him a reassuring squeeze.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" the collective shout startled me, and I am _not_ happy to admit that, yes, I squealed a _tiny_ bit. Okay, I screamed. Very loudly. I flipped around to see the amused faces of the other six people I called my friends, and gave each of them a cold scowl.

"Wow, Fray." Simon snorted, "You've got a set of lungs on you."

"Why were you scared?" Isabelle asked, "What would we have even been? We screamed _Happy birthday_, for crap's sake."

"You could have been very loud ninjas about to kill me." I stated, crossing my arms defensively.

"That scream happy birthday?" Alec reiterated, and I suck my tongue out at them.

"It's my birthday, anything I say is true." I shrugged, then finally realized what we had all been saying, and what today was. "It's my birthday!" The words flew out of my mouth, "TODAY IS THE DAY I WAS BO-" A hand clamped over my mouth, and I sighed, waiting for Jace to deem me quiet enough to let loose.

"Yes, Fray." He said, "We know it's your birthday, hence why we said _Happy birthday_, but please don't wake up the entire mansion." He removed his hand and I twisted to face him.

"I'm not that loud." I huffed, "At least I have a reason for screaming."

"If you want a reason to scream, babe, just let me-"

"I DON'T NEED TO HEAR THIS!" Isabelle yelled, cutting Jace off, "WHATEVER YOU TALK ABOUT IN YOUR PRIVATE LOVE LIFE IS YOUR BUSINESS, BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE MENTALLY SCARRED PLEASE AND THANK YOU!"

"And you called me loud." I smirked, earning a slap in the back of the head, courtesy of Izzy herself.

"Scoot over you two," Jordan raised up a tray I hadn't noticed, "we have food. And stop cuddling while we're here. It's weird." I leveled him with a glare.

"One, this is a twin bed," I announced loudly, just to show that I could talk at whatever volume I wanted, "And two, we are not _cuddling._" Seven sets of disbelieving eyes landed on me, and Jace opened his mouth to say something, but I slapped a hand over it before he could.

"You heard them. Scoot." I told him, and he obliged with a huff, dragging me with him. I shot him a look that clearly said, _You say anything about this, I slap you, _as the rest of the group hopped onto the bed. We somehow situated ourselves in a way that we fit, and Magnus and Jace were the ends, with Isabelle sitting next to me.

"Wow, Clary." She spoke up, "You've gained a _lot_ of muscle." I tilted my head in confusion, and her eyes flicked pointedly to the sheets, where I realized that, yes, Jace's arm was still around my waist, and, yes, she could feel it.

"Oh shut up." I looked down at the food that had been passed my way, hoping that my hair hid my blush.

"I don't know if any of you noticed, but I happen to be _falling off the bed_." Magnus complained.

"Well, I can't scoot over." Jace shrugged, causing everyone to look at me expectantly. I had no idea what they wanted until I realized that Izzy, Maia, and Magnus were on the laps of their significant others.

"Oh hell no." was my immediate answer, "You guys were saying you were grossed out by us 'cuddling' and now you want me to sit on his lap?"

"So you admit you were cuddling!" Simon interjected.

"That wasn't the point!" I buried my face in my hands, exasperated.

"Oh c'mon." I felt a nudge on my shoulders, "Most girls here would consider it a birthday _gift_ to get to sit on my lap."

"Well I'm sure they've all done it one time or another." I thought venomously.

"What was that?" I looked to see Jace's eyebrow raised.

"Did you hear that?" I asked idiotically. Of course I had to say it out loud.

"All I heard was the sound of you being extremely jealous." Jace teased, but there was a questioning note to his tone. Great, my birthday was getting off to an amazing start.

"I..." I glanced at the others, who were acting like they couldn't hear us, and doing a really horrible job at it. "I guess..." I took a deep breath, "I still might be a little scared of losing you. I mean, you spend so much time with them, and-"

"Hey," Jace placed a finger on my lips, silencing me instantly, "Look into my eyes. Right now. You. Are. Not. Losing. Me. Ever. Clary, you have been in my life way longer than any of them, and you honestly matter way more to me than any person in this place. So will you stop thinking about this."

I nodded, then wrapped my arms around him, shifting so that I sat on top of his legs, and buried my face in his neck. After a few seconds, I raised my face, only to be met with the sight of three extremely uncomfortable couples.

"You guys can talk now, ya know." I chuckled, leaning back into Jace, his arms settling around my waist. "Thank you." Isabelle exclaimed, taking a deep breath of air, "And can I say that-" "Nope." Jace cut her off, "You will say nothing about what just happened. You were not here for what just happened. So shut up and enjoy the birthday breakfast."

"Be nice!" I lightly elbowed Jace's ribs, and I could almost feel him roll his eyes. Then, he pressed a light kiss on the top of my head, and I swear I stopped breathing for a second. Izzy caught my eye and winked, but other than that, no one reacted, almost as if it were completely normal. As if Jace and I were... were a couple.

Soon, I moved passed the shock, and joined in with the careless banter of my friends, but I couldn't help but think that I wouldn't mind if all my birthdays were like this.

"It's your birthday and we had to hear it from Chris?!" was the shriek I was greeted to when I walked downstairs. Suddenly, two pairs of arms engulfed me, and I stumbled back from the impact.

"How could you not tell us?!" Aline continued when the two pulled back.

"What she means to say is," Helen tossed a glare at the other girl, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

"Yeah, that." Aline joked, and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Happy birthday!" Another deeper yell rang out, and a moment later, yet another pair of arms wrapped me in a quick hug.

"Thanks, Chris." I told him, "Any _why did you think telling Helen and Aline was a good idea?!_" I pouted, but he simply smirked.

"Meh." I slapped him on the arm, and he ruffled my hair. Suddenly, I was happy that I'd formed a friendship with the guy after the day of the interview. He really was awesome, but in that platonic guy friend way. We worked up a small conversation that somehow turned into all the bachelorettes singing to me, and all of us having cake for my second breakfast.

I woke up to the sound of pebbles hitting glass. Yes. Pebbles. After debating whether or not it was a robber that had scaled the building, I reluctantly padded across the room, unlocking and opening the window, only to have a rock hit me on the cheek.

"Ow!" I hissed, glaring at the man who stood ten feet below, and rubbing my cheek.

"Juliet!" he called, "My fair Juliet!"

"Are you drunk?!" I asked, running my fingers through my sleep mussed hair.

"No, you idiot." Jace grinned, "I'm not drunk, but I have a surprise for you." I checked my watch.

"What," I growled, "could you want to do at _eleven at night_." Yeah. I was going to sleep early. I had a busy (and yes, awesome) day. Sue me.

"Come down here and see." Jace motioned with his finger for me to do so.

"How the _hell_ am I supposed to get down there?" I crossed my arms, "It's not like I can just randomly walk out of the back door in the middle of the night."

"It's eleven o'clock, not three in the mor-"

"Don't sass me." I joked, causing Jace to snort.

"_Anyway._" He stressed the word, "Just jump."

"Jump?!" If I was in a cartoon, my eyes would have popped out of my head, "Are you _sure_ you're sober? I would die."

"You won't die." Jace shrugged, "I'll catch you."

"You'll catch..." I pinched the bridge of my nose, "I'm not a ball, Jace. I'm a 135 pound _person_. I'll kill us both."

"When have any of my plans gone wrong?" I opened my mouth to answer, but he cut me off with a, "Don't answer that."

"Just trust me." He pleaded with his eyes, and maybe I was the drunk one, because I climbed up onto the windowsill, then let myself fall. I was plummeting to the ground and I was gonna die. I was gonna die. I was gonna- My fall was broken by Jace, who caught me, just like he said he would. I'm not gonna lie and say that I softly and gracefully landed in his arms, because I didn't. It hurt. A lot.

"Gee, Clary," Jace got his balance back, "have you put on a few pounds?" "Are you calling me fat?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yes." Jace set me down and I smacked his arm, sadly not causing any damage.

"Come with me." He grabbed my hand and started running, so I had no choice but to follow. It was dark outside, so I couldn't really see where he was taking me. All I know was that we were still in the garden. Finally, we came to a stop, and I gasped at the scene in front of me. Blankets lay spread across a clearing in the middle of a group of trees, and strings of lights hung above them. Scattered across the blankets were none other than our favorite candies and popcorn.

Finally, to top it all off, a giant blow up screen stood at the front, already playing the opening credits of "A New Hope" (Of course, we watched them in the order they were made).

"Oh my gosh." I breathed, awestruck, "How did you... What did you... Jace, this is amazing."

"It's tradition." He squeezed my hand, "We have a Star Wars marathon every year, so why should this one be any different?" For a second, I just stared, unable to move, then finally, I spoke the words,

"Race ya to the M&amp;M's."

Somewhere in the middle of Return of the Jedi, I felt something on my shoulder. I thought I knew what it was, but then again, I also thought there were ninja robbers outside my window, so I looked down, only to have my suspicions confirmed. Jace was kissing a path up my neck.

"Wha-What are you doing." My breath caught in my throat as I tried to push Jace off in order to think clearly.

"Well," he stayed latched to my side, "You've always said you didn't know how girls 'fell into my trap', so what better way than to show you?" My mouth formed a perfect 'o', and this time, I shoved him off easily.

"Where, exactly, did you hear that?" I demanded.

"Hear what?" Jace tilted his head innocently to the side, like a perfect little angel.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about." I stood up so that I would have some hight on him, but he just followed. "You're right," He stepped towards me, and I stepped back until I hit a tree. Just like in the dream, he boxed me in, but this time, it was nowhere near a dream.

"I do know what you mean." He moved his lips right below my ear, and I held in a shiver, "You told me all about it. You told me what I said, what I did. You told me what you did, and how much you liked it. You-"

"I was drunk, Jace." I finally got the chance to speak, "That didn't even happen. There was no dream."

"You're lying." He stated.

"Prove it." I retorted, "I was drunk and talking a bunch of crap and you know it."

"Even _if_ the dream didn't happen," Jace shrugged, "they say a drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts." Okay, now he was just teasing me.

"Oh just shut up." I'm sure my face was fire engine red, "That never happened."

"Oh but it did." He smirked, and I crossed my arms, mimicking him in a high pitched voice.

"Clary," in a single second, his voice grew extremely serious, "honestly, do you... do you like me that way?"

"No." The word flew out of my mouth without me thinking, and I wanted to take it back so bad, but I couldn't speak anymore.

"Good." Jace spoke. Well, _Ouch._ Tears immediately began to well up in my eyes, but I bit them back. It felt like I'd been stabbed.

"Why?" I have no idea how that word came out in a normal tone, but thank the heavens it did.

"Because I'm sending you home this week, Clare Bear."

O_o... Inception... Welp, Imma run so you don't all kill me... Uh... Bye? OH! And just a fun thing if you have any questions about _me_ not the story that don't identify my first or last name, or where I live, leave 'em in the reviews and I'll do a Q&amp;A... Byesies my faithfuls.

-Shadowhunter5801

**P.S. Sorry about the weird unnecessary middle part. I just had to add a little bridge between the morning and night.**

**Oh! And can someone explain to me what in the world a forum is?!**


	15. It Was Always You

**Welllll… HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER! I just have to say one thing. Omigosh your reviews were hilarious. I think the most… creative review award has to go to Werewolfluvver. I beg you all to go into the reviews and read it. It. Is. Gold. Okay, moving on, I have one question, and imma repeat it at the bottom too… What the hell is a forum and how the hell do you work it or do it or yeah. Please PM me an explanation!**

**DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Cassie Clare or the Bachelor. Now moving on…**

**PLEASE LISTEN TO **_**IT WAS ALWAYS YOU**_** BY MAROON 5 AS YOU READ THIS. IT REALLY… JUST DO IT. I DON'T NEED TO EXPLAIN MYSELF TO YOU PEOPLE ;D!**

Previously:

"_Clary," in a single second, his voice grew extremely serious, "honestly, do you... do you like me that way?" _

"_No." The word flew out of my mouth without me thinking, and I wanted to take it back so bad, but I couldn't speak anymore. _

"_Good." Jace spoke. Well, Ouch. Tears immediately began to well up in my eyes, but I bit them back. It felt like I'd been stabbed. _

"_Why?" I have no idea how that word came out in a normal tone, but thank the heavens it did. _

"_Because I'm sending you home this week, Clare Bear."_

"Wait what?" the words flew out of my mouth. He couldn't be serious, could he?

"Why?" I clenched my teeth to hold back sobs, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all." Jace looked away from me, "It's just that I really like all of the girls here, and I don't think I can send any of them home yet."

"You're lying." It wasn't a question, I knew it without a doubt, "So why are you sending me home?"

"I told you why." He protested feebly, his back still to me, "I'm not lying." Now the sadness was slowly turning into anger.

"Jace," my voice was a low growl, "I have known you _all_ your damn life. I know when you're lying, so tell me the truth."

"Drop it."

"Tell me."

"I said drop it, Clary."

"And I said-"

"FINE!" He whipped to face me, grabbing my shoulders, "Do you _really_ want to know?!" There seemed to be a fire in his irises, but, after a hard swallow, I still nodded.

"You have no idea what it's like." He hissed, so close that I could feel his breath on my lips, "Every single day, I have to be around girls. I have to take them on dates, and act like I'm gonna fall in love with them when, frankly, I don't even _like_ some of them that way. But I still have to take them on these amazingly romantic dates, and say these amazingly cheesy things, when the person I want to say them to isn't even there. You don't know how it feels to know that the one person you want to be sitting across from you only wants to be friends. You don't know what it feels like to want the one person you can't have. And that, Clarissa Adele Fray, is why I'm sending you home." For a second, we stared at each other, locked in that position. Then, of all the emotions, anger won out in my mind.

"Don't know what it feels like?" I let out a dry laugh, "Well, _you're_ not the one who has to watch you say those things to other girls. _You're_ not the one who has to hear all those things said to someone else. _You're_ not the one who only gets treated in a more-than-friends way by the _only_ guy who you want to treat you that _when a camera is around_. _You_ don't have to listen to all the other girls talk about you like you guys are gonna get married, when you weren't even in the running. So yes, I lied Jace. If it's not _painfully_ obvious, I have feelings for you!" We both stared at each other once again, taking heavy breaths after our outburst.

Finally, what he said sank into my idiot brain, and the same thing seemed to happen to him, because our breaths slowed, and there was a different type of intensity burning in his eyes. I don't know who made the move first, but a second later, our lips clashed.

This time, it was not at all gentle. His mouth was feverish on mine, and I struggled to keep up. He pressed my back against the tree, and for that, I was thankful, because I could feel my knees going weak. One of his hands combed through my hair, and the other rested at the hem of my shirt, teasing the skin underneath. I ran my fingers through his soft curls, trying to pull him as close as humanly possible. His tongue swept across my bottom lip, asking for the entrance I gladly granted. Suddenly, he stopped with another soft press of his lips to mine. He eased me back, and the question was evident in my eyes.

"Let's take this slow." He whispered, pushing a strand of my hair back, "I want to savor this." My heart skipped a beat as I rested my arms around his shoulders, and his settled on my waist.

Then, he leaned in again, but this time was slow, and soft, and gentle, and sweet and perfect. He pulled back just a fraction so his lips hovered over mine.

"It was always you." He whispered before meeting my lips with his again. Of course, as it happens with all of our moments, the snap of a twig ruined it, and scared us into jumping apart.

"…somewhere over here." Isabelle's voice rang out, and our eyes grew wide. I threw my messed up hair into a sloppy bun, and we both sat down, acting like we were watching the movie.

"There you guys are!" Simon said from behind not a second later. I turned, smiling innocently.

"Yup," Jace spoke, rising to his feet, then helping me up. "Is it already time to go?" I asked, and Izzy nodded, eyeing me suspiciously.

"We brought a clean up crew." She narrowed her eyes, and it felt like she was examining my every pore.

"Erm…" I scratched my neck self consciously, "We should probably get going."

"Yeah." Jace agreed, slinging his arm over my shoulder, and Isabelle moved her scrutinizing gaze to him. "So how was the movie?" Simon was obviously unaware of the tension.

"Good." Jace shrugged, letting the pair walk ahead of us, "I mean, it was Star Wars. 'Nuff said." Simon laughed, the suspicion left Izzy's eyes, and Jace held me back, increasing the space between us and them.

"Should we…?" He whispered, trailing off suggestively. I shook my head, smirking.

"You started the couples game with the bachelorettes," My smile grew wider, "so why not extend it to our little group?" His smile quickly matched my own.

"Are you saying we see how long it will take for them to figure out that we…" I waited for Jace to finish his sentence.

"That we…?" I prodded when he didn't continue. He opened his mouth to speak, but _someone_ cut him off.

"Will you two hurry up?!" Iz yelled, and I scowled.

"You people and you're damn timing issues." I muttered under my breath, and Jace snorted.

"We're coming!" he called, picking up the pace.

"We had two hours," I groaned, "so why the hell did you make us come in?" Isabelle laughed. Simon and Jace had gone to his room while Izzy and I had headed to mine. I let myself fall back onto my bed, and Iz thumped down next to me.

"Because I wanted to talk to you." She turned her brown eyes on me, "How's the whole Jace thing going?"

"What do you mean?" I questioned, making sure to keep my tone neutral.

"I meeean," she drew out the word, "are you ready to make him fall at your feet and beg for mercy?"

"What?!" I whipped to face her, shocked, "If you're asking if I want to make him _like_ me that way, then… Yes." Izzy's mouth dropped open, then a squeal escaped her.

"I have been waiting for this moment since we were five freaking years old!" She jumped off the bed, running for my closet.

"No… no… no…" She mumbled, throwing articles of clothing out behind her. "YES!" she finally exclaimed, holding up a shirt I didn't recognize.

"Um… It's not mine." I shook my head, "I didn't pack that."

"I know," she shrugged, pulling out a pair of ripped skinny jeans, "I did." I scoffed, getting up as she threw the outfit at me, along with lacy underwear and a bra of the same material.

"Uh…?" I held up the bra questioningly. "It never hurts to be prepared." She wiggled her eyebrows, and I got up, walking over and slapping her in the arm.

"No." I said firmly, "No… Just _no_." I shoved the last two items back in her arms, and she sighed in exasperation, handing me a plain, strapless bra instead. I ran into the bathroom and slipped on the shirt and pants. I almost couldn't get the shirt on because of how tight it hugged to my body.

It looked like leather, and it had two, off-the-shoulder straps that wrapped around the top of my arms. I had to say that it really did look good. Not slutty, but _far_ from the innocent band shirts I normally wore. I opened the door, motioning for Izzy to come in all while keeping my eyes on the girl in the mirror.

"Perfect!" She clapped her hands together, "And now for the makeup." She pulled the makeup bag that I (read: she) had packed.

"All we're going to do." She pulled out the primer, rubbing it on my face, "Is just a little bit of light makeup. I think he'll like the natural look on you." I coughed as she patted the foundation powder on my face. So it begins.

"Look up."

"Look down."

"Tilt to the left."

"Tilt to the right."

"Chin up."

"Close your eyes."

"Open them"

"_Stop moving!_"

"Almost done."

"And… Finished!"

I looked into the mirror, examining Isabelle's work. She hadn't done much. I still looked like me, but somehow, my cheekbones looked higher, my eyes looked brighter, my nose looked thinner, and my lips looked better. All this and it looked like the only thing I had on was lipgloss.

"Am I not amazing." Isabelle teased, looking into the mirror behind me. I nodded, smiling at our reflections.

"I need to teach you how to do this," she patted my cheek, "'cause I know you secretly love it." I stuck my tongue out at her, and she returned the gesture.

"Lemme grab some shoes for you." She scampered out of the room, and, in less than a minute, came running back in with a pair of black, scrappy stilettos, setting them down next to my feet.

"Not yet." she stopped me when I started to put them on, "Hair first." Without waiting for a response, she began pulling my hair up and stabbing my head with bobby pins.

"You know," I sighed, "how many times he's told you not to put it up."

"Don't worry," She stabbed yet another bobby pin in my hair, and I winced, "it's all part of the plan. He secretly loves taking it down. Well, not secretly. It's really obvious." I rolled my eyes as Izzy stepped back, motioning for me to put my shoes on. I did so, then looked into the mirror. I gasped in sudden realization.

"Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee." I joked, finally noticing that the top was eerily similar to the one said girl wore in the ending scene of Grease.

"And we're about to get you your Danny Zuko." she bumped my shoulder, then grabbed my arm, dragging me to the door. I heard Jace's voice resonating from the living room.

_Well_, I thought, _here goes nothin'_.

**I hope you liked it (and have watched Grease)! You didn't really think I'd let our dear Clary go down without a fight, did you ;). Again, just reminding you guys, the oneshot competition is **_**still open**_**, but it will be closing soon. As I said, I'll give a one week warning, but this is just a reminder. And again, I must ask…What the hell is a forum and how the hell do you work it or do it or yeah. Please PM me an explanation! Until next time, my faithful followers!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	16. Iris

**Hola my faithfuls! So, a couple things I want to say before we begin. The first one is TRIGGER WARNING! This chapter does contain a death and slightly graphic description. You have been warned. I also just wanted to say THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR RESPONSES. In the last two chapters' reviews, I have gotten some VERY interesting comments… Among them were "Great mother of googly moogaly" "He odes the cha cha he goes caramba and then chici chici boom chici chici boom boom" "I don't have to cut Jace's ass off" A "threat" to lose a viewer, someone not drowning their sorrows in chocolate anymore, a "TYPE AWAY MY YOUNG AUTHOR", and much, much more. As you can see, my scroll through the reviews was VERY entertaining and AWESOME. Thank you guys so much for making me smile when I needed it ^-^. You guys all ROCK.**

_I don't want the world to see me_

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

_When everything's meant to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

_-_Iris, Goo Goo Dolls

I walked down the stairs (and _did not_ almost fall three times), and walked into the common room.

"Damn!" Aline shouted from where she sat on the couch, "Someone put some effort into today!" This caused Helen to turn her head towards me, and I saw her draw drop. I strode over to them shakily, falling into the cushions with a sigh of relief.

"Do I look good?" I asked, out of breath, "Is it worth not being able to walk straight?"

"Definitely." Both girls responded, and I laughed.

"Today's not your birthday," Helen tilted her head to the side, "so what are you all dressed up for?" I just shook my head, not wanting to lie, but there was no way in hell that I was telling them the truth.

"Did Jace give you a special surprise yesterday?" Aline joked, wiggling her eyebrows. I couldn't control the blush that crept up my neck, and looked down, unable to meet the other girls' eyes.

"OMIGOSH HE DID!" Helen yelled, and I drew my finger across my neck in a motion that clearly said _cut it out_, but that didn't faze the two.

"What did he do?!" Aline prodded, and I just shook my head, burying my face in my hands.

"Yeah, what _did_ he do?" I jumped, startled by the new voice. I looked up, mentally wincing, as I saw that Izzy had taken a seat next to Helen. I swear her almost black eyes were piercing my soul, and digging around for my secrets.

"Nothing, you guys." I waved my hand dismissively, "I mean, we watched a few movies. It was nice. But that's it."

"Uh… Obviously not." Aline raised her eyebrows, "You're just lucky it's only us in here. I have a feeling the rest of the girls would have skinned you alive."

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my eyebrows, completely and totally lost. The three shared a long look, as if they were mentally communicating, then, they nodded, and Izzy grabbed my hand, pulling me up.

"Turn around." she ordered, obviously trying not to laugh. I put my back to her, and heard the click of her phone snapping a picture.

"Okay." I faced her again as she spoke the word, and gasped at what was on the screen. A dark red mark was clearly visible on the back left of my neck. Heat flooded my face, and I refused to meet the eyes of the girls.

"I... fell." I used the same excuse Alec had given so many years ago. Apparently, at least, according to the dry stare she offered me, Izzy remembered too.

"On your neck?" Aline raised her eyebrow, and I gulped.

"Okay... so maybe a little bit happened." I waited for the envitable slap or angry words from the other contestants in the room, but instead, all three girls squealed.

"Did anyone else notice?" I asked Izzy, and she shook her head.

"If you hadn't started Simon on his Star Wars rant, he would have." She smiled at the mere mention of her boyfriend, "But he didn't. Strawberry?" Isabelle offered me the fruit, and I gave her a glare. I wasn't oblivious to what she was planning. I knew if I took the strawberry, Jace would _conveniently_ show up right as I was eating it.

"C'mon." Helen egged me on, "You know it looks good." I shook me head, crossing my arms, adamant to refuse the attempts at making me look... like that. Aline stood up and kneeled in front of where I sat on the couch. "You want a strawberry," She swung the fruit in front of my face like a pendulum,

"It is looking yummier and yummier as you fall deep into its spell." I rolled my eyes, and, just as I suspected, two deep voices were approaching. I raised my eyebrows, giving each of them their own accusing look.

"Hey Clary, I just dropped my room key behind you, could you get it?" Helen asked, and I bit my lip, wondering what they were planning.

"Sure.." I eyed her suspiciously, then turned around, making sure to not let my butt stick out as I assume they wanted. Suddenly, two surprised sounds met my ears. One sounded like a strangled and horribly concealed groan, and the other sounded more like a high pitch squeak. I whipped back around to fine Jace and Alec staring at me, eyes equally wide.

"What?" I tilted my head, "Do I have something on... Shit." My hand immediately went to the mark on my neck that I had forgotten about. I laughed nervously, looking at me.

"You fell on your neck, didn't you?" I could hear the smirk in Alec's words, and I looked up long enough to glare at him.

"Maybe…" I mumbled quietly to the amusement of all my friends, who, apparently, enjoyed my suffering. I cleared my throat.

"Jace, say something. Please." I noticed that, for this incident, he was being abnormally silent.

"It's the 2nd." He whispered, and Isabelle, Alec, and I all fell silent. Helen and Aline seemed to be quiet due to confusion. I felt myself drifting, as they would call it, drifting away from reality.

"Hey." A firm voice roused me, "Clary. Listen to me." Golden eyes surfaced in front of me, and it was then that I realized I was shaking.

"Shhh…" Jace pulled me into his arms, stroking my hair softly.

"It's okay. I'm here." His voice too low for the others to hear, "Just… Just… Stay with me. Don't you dare go back there. You're here. Right here next to me." I struggled to keep the sobs in, knowing how it went every year. I would try to hold in my sadness today. I would put up an exterior, but I would be gone. Untouchable, even though today wasn't the actually day. That was tomorrow, but tomorrow would me the day that I would act completely fine, not unaffected, but strong. I would be there for Jace, take care of him, even though I was dying inside. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't just letting me wallow in my sadness, he really thought that I was okay. The 3rd wasn't a day that he was up to par in his attentiveness, and I couldn't blame him. I remembered it… I remembered the accident like it was yesterday.

—-

**Five Years Ago**

"Why are we making such a big deal out of this?" I whined jokingly.

"It's your birthday, sweetheart." Celine Wayland turned back from the passenger seat to face me, "Well, your birthday party at least."

"So that means you have to call Jace home from his piano camp thing in Jersey?" I asked, honestly feeling horrible about pulling him away from his passion, "We Skyped yesterday."

"For your information," Michael Wayland spoke from the driver's seat, "_we_ didn't ask him to do anything. He was the one that made us promise we would pick him up in time for the dinner." I raised my eyebrows.

"Really?" I laughed in disbelief.

"Yes," Celine confirmed, "I pro-" And that was when we swerved.

"MICHAEL!" Celine shrieked, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU-"

And then the impact came. The drunk driver that Michael had been trying to avoid smashed into his side, right in the front, almost as if it were aimed for him. My cries combined with the screech of breaking metal and sliding tires. I didn't even realized we had flipped until my head slammed into the top of the car, shattered glass embedding itself in my skin. We rolled back right side up, the car finally sliding to a halt. My vision blurred in and out of focus, and there was a roaring pain spreading all throughout my left side.

"Clary." A soft voice rang out, and it was then that I realized I had stopped screaming, and everything seemed to be completely silent, "Clary, sweetheart, stay with me. Please stay with me. You can… You can do this." I forced my eyes to stay open, even though it felt like there were explosions going off in my brain. In front of me, the car had collapsed, and I knew that there was no way in the world that Michael could be alive under… under that. A sob escaped my mouth, but the soft voice called yet again, and I refocused on the golden eyes that stared at me from the passenger's side.

"Celine." I managed to choke out the word, and sucked in a sharp breath as I saw her state. Blood soaked her from her previously white top to her long blonde hair, and a chunk of metal… A chunk of metal stuck out from her middle.

"My eyes are up here." she attempted to joke, but I could hear the pain in each syllable. I swallowed hard as she reached out a feeble, shaking hand, tipping my chin up once again.

"You have to make it." Surprisingly, her voice was not weak, as it should have been, almost like she was pouring every last strength into it, "Clarissa Adele Fray, we both know I… I can't, and that I don't have much time. But you can't lose hope. You can't die. If you can't stay for you, stay for Jace. You can't leave him alone." She coughed, blood spraying from her mouth, "Tell him that Michael and I love him. Please."

"Celine, no!" I pleaded, "You have to make it. You have to stay with me. I love you! Don't go." Tears rolled down my face like a waterfall, and I could see her irises fading, almost like a flame growing dimmer.

"Promise me you'll stay." Her voice was losing it's volume, "Stay for you. Stay for me. Stay for him."

"Don't you dare leave me!" I yelled, trying to reach out, only to realize my arms were pinned to my sides, "Celine, _Celine, _MOM!"

"I love you, Clary." Her voice was barely audible, "Stay strong for each other. He needs you as much as you need him." Her eyelids fluttered, and then dropped, and with that, I was alone.

"Help!" I cried out, despite the fact that no one could hear me, "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME." The pain came in waves of heat, like lava rolling through my veins. I could feel the blood leaving my body, and my eyes began to grow heavy.

_Just close them_, I thought, _Close them and it will all be over._ Then, Celine's words rang in my mind,

"If you can't stay for you, stay for Jace."

I forced my eyes open yet again, clinging to every good thought and memory I could. Flashes of my friends, my family, all played like a movie. _Stay for Jace,_ the words echoed in me, and I fought through the harsh white of pain that filled my eyes. I focused on him, every single detail about him. The way he felt, the way he smelled, the way he looked. Then, I pictured how he would be at the funeral, and I knew at that moment that I couldn't let him go through this alone. No matter what it would take.

It felt like hours before police sirens filled my ears, and suddenly, the metal was creaking again, pulling apart. A crack of blue sky appeared, and, for a second, I thought I had died, then, the first breath of fresh air entered my lungs.

"I'm… I'm here." I croaked, and my words were met with various shouts that blurred together before I could comprehend them. Suddenly, I was up in someone's arms, and a mask was placed over my nose and mouth.

"It's all gonna be okay." The fireman's voice caused his chest to rumble, "You'll get through this. I know it." That was all the assurance I needed before I closed my eyes.

—-

"CLARY!" Isabelle's shout brought me back to reality, and it was then that I realized I was shaking, my face wet with tears. Several people kneeled around me, their faces swimming in and out of my vision.

"Hey." Jace's strained voice stood out, and everyone else seemed to take a step back. I was gently lifted into his arms, and he began carrying me to my room, the rest of the group following close behind. Time blurred, and, before I knew it, he sat down on my bed, softly cradling me in his arms.

"Clary what's wr-" Aline halted her speech, and, in my mind's eye, I could see the harsh glare Jace was training on her.

"Sorry." she whispered, "Is there anything we can do?" I shook my head, sucking in a deep breath and calming myself.

"No." I answered, wincing at the broken tone of my voice.

"No." I repeated, my voice stronger this time, "I'm okay." They all gazed at me, disbelief evident in their expressions, but no one made a fuss as I stood up, wiping the tears from under my eyes, "Well, don't stop staring at me. We've got a long day ahead of us."

—-

Needless to say, Jace was glued to my hip for several hours, pestering me every few minutes with

_Are you okay? _

_Are you sure you're okay? _

_Are you sure you're sure you're okay?_

Even though I denied having any problems, he knew me too well, and, without the other girls even noticing, he gave me my favorite foods, favorite drinks, and he was always touching me. But then, night rolled around, everything started to hit Jace, and the alcohol came out.

"Why the _hell_ do you think I told you to cut the drinks?" I hissed to Chris, who was staring down at his feet.

"I couldn't exactly take the bottles away after I handed them out." He defended feebly. I scoffed, the noise containing my disapproval.

"Okay, okay." He relented, "I get it, I'm sorry." I rolled my eyes, refocusing on a clearly drunk Jace who was swarmed with the rest of the bachelorettes. I sighed, watching the girls shamelessly throw themselves at him. In their defense, a lot of them were just as drunk as Jace, four empty bottles of whiskey littered somewhere on the property. I pushed my fingers through my hair, grumbling curses under my breath as I marched into the kitchen, frankly wanting some of the alcohol myself. I knew I couldn't get drunk though. Not tonight.

Any other night I would've drained half a bottle alone, but not tonight. I angrily grabbed a bottle of water, chugging the contents and half wishing that it was vodka. I scowled at the bottle, as if it was the cause of all my problems, then walked out into the common area, only to find all the girls miffed, an air of annoyance settled over the room.

"Where's Jace?" I asked, scanning every corner for said man, "And where's Seelie?"

"They both seemed to be having a _lot_ of fun when they headed to his room." I was surprised that, of all people, Kaelie was the one who responded. At that moment, I didn't care as I switched into my protective mode, knowing full and well that Seelie knew that she was taking advantage of him. No, jealousy did not play a part in this, not even a little bit, no. Without another word to anyone, I set my jaw, making my way up the stairs.

As I walked down the hall, very loud (read: annoying) giggling became audible. I pounded on the door, seething as I waited for a response. The noises promptly stopped, and I heard footsteps approaching. Seelie poked her head through the doorway, clearly annoyed with my intrusion.

"What do you want?" She sneered, glaring at me like I was something on the bottom of her Prada stilettos. I opened my mouth, about to unleash the fury of hell on her when a voice interrupted me.

"Clary! Come back to bed." Jace's slurred voice rang out, and, to my surprise, Seelie looked more embarrassed than shocked. "Posing as me, are we?" My tone was coated with a veneer of calmness, too furious for the news to shock me. Seelie's face turned a deep red, and she made no efforts to deny me.

"Now I suggest you get out of here before I do something we'll both regret." I saw a hint of fear flash in her eyes, and that was when I realized just how scary I could be when it came to Jace. She stared at me, frozen, and swallowed hard.

"I said _get out!_" I made no move to disguise my unbridled hatred. Seelie let out a squeak (yes, an actual squeak), then ran out of the room, leaving the door open behind her. I stormed in, trying to simmer down enough from the little incident, then, my eyes met Jace's. His irises shined like molten gold, and my breath caught as I realized he was, in fact, shirtless.

I gulped as he jumped deftly to his feet, and yelped as he grabbed my waist, dropping me onto the bed then straddling me. Luckily, I came to my senses before the point of no return (a.k.a. A kiss), and placed my hands on his shoulders, pushing him so that he flopped to my side.

"Jace. Stop it." I commanded, and even drunk Jace knew not to push me. I turned to face him yet again and pulled him into my arms. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, returning the embrace tightly.

"It's okay." I shushed him as sobs began to rack his body, "I'm here. I'm right here." Then, he uttered three words that broke my heart.

"Don't leave me."

**SO…. I couldn't let you be happy for too long, could I? OF COURSE NOT! So, there's this goal I have in my head (that I'm sure everyone on fan fiction does) to be on the first page when you set the site to "sort by most follows" I am so happy to say that I am #74 out of 10.6K (K-T Filter on)! But I would absolutely positively love it if you guys told your friends about this fic, favorited it, followed it if you haven't! Thank you all for your awesomeness, and we are FAR from over. Thank you so much, and I loooooove you guys. Until next time, my faithful followers!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	17. Free Falling

**Okay, I have to say that, as I'm typing this, I am driving to THE SUPERNATURAL CONVENTION IN SAN FRANCISCO AND I AM FREAKING OUT BECAUSE JARED AND JENSEN AND MISHA AND HNNNNG I HAVE BEE FREAKING OUT FOR THE PAST FOUR DAYS AND OMIGOSH I'M SO EXCITED! Well… Um… Moving on :'D Don't kill me, but it's another sad chapter I'll make up for it next chapter I swear you guys will love me! But this one ends better… Or not… O_o Well go on and read ahead to find out, my faithfuls! OH AND VERY IMPORTANT! READ THE BOTTOM NOTE!**

I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. I held my breath as Jace groaned sleepily, hoping to everything that he wouldn't wake up. Luckily, he snuggled back into his pillow, sighing contently. I slipped silently out of the bed, creeping over to the door where the knock began to get louder.

"What?" I hissed as I opened the door harshly, not expecting the person who was on the other side.

"What are you doing here?" Chris asked, voice too surprised to be accusing.

"I… Just… Don't wake him up." I resorted to not explaining, "Please."

"Why not?" Chris narrowed his eyes at me, but I just shook my head, stepping out and grabbing his arm.

"Just let him sleep as long as possible." I dragged him behind me, not waiting for a response. It was best for Jace to stay asleep for as long as possible, for him to not have to deal with today.

Since I was born, Jace's parents had raised me as much as my own, hence why I sometimes called them Mom and Dad, and Jace did the same with my parents. Even then, I couldn't imagine how it must feel for Jace on this day. No matter how close I was with Michael and Celine, they weren't my _real_ parents, and I had no idea what it was like to lose someone that close to me. Even if my loss came pretty close. I released Chris right before I reached the common room, and gave him a look that spoke so many levels of _Don't even try it_.

When I stepped into the room, three sets of eyes turned on me. I sat down in the middle of Izzy, Aline, and Helen, and they all stared at me, volumes of questions behind their gazes.

"Go ahead," I breathed, "ask away."

"First off," Aline jumped on my offer quickly, "you don't have to tell us what happened yesterday, but how the hell did Jace seem to know exactly what would make you happy?"

"I…" _was not prepared for that,_ "told him about some of my favorite things when we went on our dates. I guess he remembered some of them and thought it would cheer me up." They eyed me suspiciously, but gave up on trying to pry… At least on that subject.

"So where did you storm off to last night?" Helen asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, "I mean, you _are _in the same clothes." My cheeks grew red, and I opened my mouth to reply, but I was saved by Kaelie bursting into the common area.

"I have a date card!" She shouted, then ripped the envelope open, "Clary." We waited for her to continue, but she just stared at the paper, brow furrowed.

"That's all it says." She announced, "Just _Clary_." I gulped, tears building in my eyes, knowing instantly where this date would take us.

"I better go and get ready." I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes, "Bye guys." The girls both wrapped their arms around me.

"Clary, if there's anything you want to talk about…" Aline trailed off.

"We're here." Helen continued. I squeezed them, drawing back, a warm feeling swelling in my heart. "Thank you."

Now a real smile adorned my face. It was a small one, but real nonetheless. I eased back, standing up, then walking up the stairs and not looking back. As soon as I was out of sight, my tears fell silently. I walked faster, unlocking and opening the door with shaking hands. I searched through my closet, delicately picking up a nice back blouse, and paired it with dark skinny jeans and black heels. I then walked over to Jace's door, knocking softly.

I sucked in a sharp breath as he opened the door, messy haired, bleary eyes, tears running down his cheeks. It was hard not to burst out crying at just seeing him like this. Without a word, he pulled me into his arms, burying his face in my shoulder.

"Shhh." I ran my fingers through his hair, and we stayed like that for a few minutes. Eventually, he pulled away, swallowing hard as he stared at me. I brushed the tears from his eyes and his cheeks, and his tipped his head down, looking at the ground.

"Nuh-uh." I pushed his chin up, forcing him to look into my eyes, "We have to be strong for them." I took a risk, standing on my toes and pressing my lips softly against his. It was only a second, but he still stared at me like I was a different species.

_At least it took his mind off it for a second,_ I thought as heat rushed to my face. This time it was him tipping my chin up. I met his golden eyes, and was surprise to find that there wasn't as much sadness in those glowing orbs. What surprised me even more was when he returned the kiss, then tucked my head under his chin.

"Let's do this." He whispered, stepping back, then sliding his fingers through mine. I squeezed his hand as we made our way downstairs. Bypassing some of the girls without even a glance in their direction. Soon enough, the cameras were following us, and, when we got outside, Jace grabbed hold of my other hand, turning me to face him.

"Listen, Clary," He started, voice thick with emotion, "We're about to fly to my hometown, New York, and I'm going to have you meet two people that are… very important to me. He offered a small smile, releasing one hand once again, and guiding me toward a _very_ fancy private jet. We boarded the plane along with Chris and the cameras, quickly making ourselves comfortable on the couches.

It didn't take long for the jet to ascend into the clouds, and pretty soon, the pilot announced that we could "Move around the cabin as we please.". I was about to start a conversation, seeing as the silence was getting awkward, but noticed Jace's head lolling to the side. Between the sadness and the hangover, he hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

"Why don't you take a rest." I suggested, and he turned to face me, a question in his eyes. I nodded, and he lowered his head to my lap, stretching his legs across the length of the couch. I stared down at him, making sure he was okay, and one of his eyes cracked open.

"I know I'm attractive, but I think a picture would last longer." He teased, and a wave of relief flooded me. Every year, he seemed to get a little bit better, but he had never exactly been able to be even remotely happy on this day. Now, he seemed genuinely happy with his jab at me.

"Remember where you are, and where I am." I narrowed my eyes, raising my hand threateningly.

"You wouldn't dare ruin this flawless face."

"Not exactly flawless. I seem to recall a certain chip on someone's front tooth."

"Irrelevant. Except for that, I'm flawless."

"Do you really want to try me, Wayland?"

"No."

"Then go to sleep."

"If I didn't know better, I would say you're trying to get rid of me, Fray."

"You're right. I am."

"Well-"

"Sleep. Now."

He repeated my words in a mocking tone, but closed his eyes again nonetheless. Within two minutes, his breathing had grown deeper, and I knew he was out. Only then did I look up at Chris, who had obvious amusement at our banter written across his face.

"Shut up." I said simply as he opened his mouth, and his shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.

"Okay, fine." I took the bait, "What is it?"

"You two already act like an old married couple." He joked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe you should ask some questions or do a little interview thing while he's out." I avoided his comment. This time it was him who rolled his eyes, but relented, beginning to ask me generic questions. Throughout the whole ordeal, I couldn't stop thinking of the three words that I was most thankful to have ever heard.

_Stay for him._

—-

After what seemed like an eternity, the plane landed, jolting Jace from his slumber, and halting all conversation. A somber air seemed to settle over everyone, and Jace's jaw was set tight. We exited the jet, and Jace's car lay parked almost right beside us. All of a sudden, Jace stopped dead a few feet from the car.

"You guys can't come with us." He said firmly, directing his words at Chris and the camera crew.

"Jace, we can't let you do that." Chris tried to reason.

"No." Jace's tone made it clear that he would not give in. Chris turned to me, eyes pleading for help. I sighed, slowly unraveling his fist and twining our fingers together.

"Chris," I spoke, "You can come with us, but the cameras stay here." Chris opened his mouth, about to speak, but I held my hand up.

"If you want, you can tell them everything that happens in there." I continued, "You can do an interview with both of us after, but the cameras stay." I settled him my _No way in hell am I budging_ stare, and he got the message.

"Okay." he gave up the argument, turning to the crew, "You stay here. I'll take notes." I looked to Jace for confirmation, and he offered a slight nod before walking to the driver's side. I entered the passenger's, and Chris slid into the back. Silently, we drove out of the small airport. I glanced at Jace as we merged onto the street. His posture was stiff, but I could see the suppressed tremors slightly shaking his body, and his hands were gripping the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"Uh." Chris spoke up, "Jace, why don't you tell Clary where we're headed." That seemed to be the breaking point, and Jace started shaking so much that the car began drifting from side to side.

"Pull over." I commanded, and both men looked at me in shock.

"But, Clary-" Jace began to protest, but I cut him off.

"No." Again, my tone left no room for argument, "Pull over now." Jace did as I asked, already knowing what I was planning as he unbuckled, exiting the car. I did the same, but he grabbed my arm as we crossed paths.

"Thank you." He whispered, then pressed a kiss to my cheek.

"No problem." I pulled out of his grasp, and we entered the car on the opposite sides.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I buckled up, remembering that I wasn't supposed to know.

"Woodlawn Cemetery." I could see the slight glisten of tears in his eyes, "You're going to meet my parents."

"Oh…" Wow I could be an actor, "But I thought Robert and Maryse…"

"Adoptive parents." He answered my question without hesitation. I nodded, not knowing what to say anymore. Apparently, the other two didn't either, because the rest of the drive was spent in silence.

—-

I stopped as we entered the grounds, and the three of us stepped into the sunlight, closing the door behind us.

"Wait." I turned to Chris as we reached the headstones, "You have to promise me something."

"What…?" He asked warily. "You can't tell anyone what you see here, even if you have to lie your ass off." I said simply, and the two men turned to me, shocked by my behavior yet again.

"Clary," Jace warned, "don't."

"Don't? _Don't?!_," For some reason, years worth of things came bubbling to the surface.

"Clary," Chris interrupted me, "Not today. You can have whatever freak out you want any other day, but-"

"No." I snarled, "I am _done _with this game. If anything today should be the one day where I _can _do this."

"Can you stop thinking about yourself for one second." Chris spat, obviously fed up with me, "Your parents didn't die today! God, I didn't think you were like the other girls, but you're so much worse." Jace winced, knowing that wasn't the right thing to say, especially right now, but he didn't speak up for me at all, choosing to let me take this.

"Are you _kidding?!"_ Now, I directed my anger at him, so furious that red seemed to fill my vision, "Not a _peep_ in defense of me?! Every damned year you have today. You didn't watch the _life drain out of your mother's eyes._ Not _once_ have I said anything, because you're the only _damn reason I'm alive_." I sucked in a sharp breath, not having meant for the last part to come out. Suddenly, Chris grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the car.

"You need to go. Now." He growled.

"Wait." Jace called, staring at me intensely, "What the hell do you mean." Chris stopped reluctantly, waiting for me to give an answer.

"_I love you_ wasn't the only thing she told me before she died." I looked down, the anger quickly giving way to sadness, "Before that… She told me I had to live, but by that time, I had lost hope. I didn't want to live. I didn't want to keep feeling that pain. But she told me… She told me if I couldn't live for myself to live for you. To be strong for you, because you would need me. Jace, I was in that car for _hours_ before they got me out. But all I kept thinking about was _you_. Your smile, your laugh, your smell, the way it felt when you hug me. When that started to fail, I thought of you at the funeral, having to look at us in caskets, and that was when I knew that there was no way in hell I was letting you go through that without me. Dying would have been so much easier, so much less painful, but I knew I couldn't go. They said that it was a miracle that I had survived, almost impossible. _I_ didn't even know how it was possible… I lost so much blood. But the second I opened my eyes and saw you in that hospital room, and you hugged me so hard even though it hurt so much, when I learned that you hadn't left my side… I knew every second of the pain was worth it."

At first, I felt so light, like a weight had been lifted off of me, but when I met Jace's wide eyes, and saw his mouth wide open, a fear bubbled inside me.

_What the hell were you thinking_ my mind offered _Why would he care? Maybe he would be better off with you, and that stupid scar on you that's a constant reminder that his parents are gone._ I jerked out of Chris's grasp, which had loosened due to confusion, and began quickly backing up, realizing that I had unintentionally spoken my thoughts. This seemed to snap Jace into action, and he covered the distance between us in five quick strides, grabbing my arms.

"Let me _go_!" I yelled, trying to yank away, but he was too strong, "Stop! Just let me go, let me go, let me…" My protests faded off as my legs gave out, but his arms wrapper around my waist, catching me mid-fall. He pulled me close, hugging me harder than he ever had before.

"Don't you _dare _say that." His voice shook, "I don't know where I would be without you. And that scar… Every time I see it, it reminds me of how close I was to losing you, and that I should and do thank God every day that you're still here. I didn't realize all these years… I'm so sorry… And… Thank you." That was when his voice broke, and we both tumbled into the grass, wrapped in each other's arms, tears cascading like waterfalls.

"Thank you." He repeated the words over and over again, his face buried in my hair, and we stayed there for what must have been ten minutes before collecting ourselves. I turned to Chris, who stood, gaping at us, and motioned for him to come over with us. Jace grabbed my hand, then unpacked the picnic basket we had brought with us, never releasing his grip on me.

"I'll lie." Chris broke the silence, "If you guys explain to me what's going on later, I'll lie. And Clary, I'm sorry, I had no idea…"

"It's okay." I smiled at him, "You couldn't have known." We all moved to sit on the red and white blanket, turning to the graves. "Hi Mom," Jace started, "Hi Dad."

"Hi Celine, Hi Michael." I interjected.

"So," Jace released my hand to wrap his arm around me, and I leaned into him, "A little bit has happened since we last came to visit." I snorted.

"A little bit?" I asked, "I don't think this stuff could be classified as a little bit. Jace and I are in…" I trailed of, looking at Jace, but he was staring ahead intently.

"You guys knew, didn't you." He asked, a knowing smile on his face. I laughed, realizing what he was getting at.

"It would have been easier if you just told us, you know." I could almost picture their _duh_ smiles as we continued the conversation.

**This is about the ONESHOT COMPETITION! I am giving the ONE MONTH WARNING NOW! It might be a little longer, but a MONTH IS HOW MUCH YOU GUYS HAVE LEFT SO PLEASE PLEASE SUBMIT! If I get AT LEAST 10 SUBMISSIONS I WILL DO A CHAPTER IN JACE'S POV. CURRENTLY I HAVE TWO SO (as my new saying that I stole goes) WRITE AWAY MY YOUNG AUTHORS! Until next time (Which will be **_**very **_**soon) my faithful followers.**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	18. Chasing Cars

**FIRST THINGS FIRST REMEMBER THE ONESHOT COMPETITION IS COMING TO A CLOSE! Second, as I said, I was at the SPN convention, and I got a big surprise. I GOT A PHOTO WITH JENSEN AND MISHA, AND ANOTHER ON WITH RICHARD SPEIGHT JR (AKA CAS AND DEAN, AND GABRIEL) THEY HUGGED ME. AND TALKED TO ME. HOLY CRAP IM DEAD. Last thing, I expect a LOT of reviews on this chapter. Read ahead my faithfuls.**

**I RECOMEND LISTENING TO CHASING CARS BY SNOW PATROL ON A LOOP**

"Where are we going?" I asked Jace, who was clearly not driving to the airport.

"Our date isn't over yet." He supplied mysteriously, but I glanced outside, recognizing the way as we passed Taki's.

"Oh." I laughed as we shared a smile. A throat clearing sounded from the back.

"Uh… Would you guys mind telling me what's going on?" Chris inquired awkwardly.

"Let's start over," I turned to face him, "my name is Clary Fray. I'm this idiot's," I pointed to Jace, "best friend. Have been since birth… Sadly."

"Hey!" The indignant shout rose from beside me, accompanied by a soft shove. I stuck my tongue out at him before turning back to Chris.

"I originally came onto the show as an inside spy for Jace." "And no romantic intentions." I added.

"Mhm suuuuure." I really wish Jace would shut up.

"At least I didn't know I had 'romantic interest." I relented a tiny bit, "And don't forget, it was the same for you, buddy." That shut him up pretty fast.

"Wow." Chris spoke up again, "I really am gonna have to lie my ass off." But he said it jokingly, and that made everything okay. We came to a stop in the alleyway of an old, abandoned building. The words Hotel Dumort hung, unlit, on a sign ahead. Jace slipped through a flap intended to patch up the old, stone wall, and I went in after, Chris following behind.

"Uh… I think this is illegal…" Chris said with a nervous laugh.

"It's okay." I dismissed his worry, "We've come here all our lives." I hoped it reassured him, but Jace and I didn't wait as we walked up the many flights of stairs until we reached the hatch to the roof. I pushed it open, climbing out and waiting for Jace, but he stayed behind.

"I just need to talk to Chris quick."

"Okay…" I narrowed my eyes, but Jace shut the hatch again before I could figure out what he was planning. Resigned, I headed over to the edge of the building and sat down, allowing my legs to hang over the edge. I watched the city below me, all the cars rushing around, the hundreds of thousands of people walking down the streets. Then, I looked up at the expanse of buildings that lay around me, and I remembered why I loved this place.

I always felt so small, but, standing at the top of the building, I felt like the rest of the world was small too, but it all fit together. Almost like minuscule pieces in a part of one giant, chaotic puzzle of the world. I was pulled out of my musings by the creak of rusty hinges. I turned as Jace came to sit beside me, but Chris stayed where he was, face white as a sheet.

"How can you guys do that." His eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head, "Just sit there like you aren't more than a hundred feet above the ground…" He shivered, and I rolled my eyes at his antics.

"We've been coming up here since we were 10." I smirked in a purely Jace fashion, "We've gotten used to it."

"Geez, we've done so many things up here, I can't even count." Jace's eyes glistened with joy, "Remember that night in ninth grade-"

"Oh god." I buried my face in my hands, a flush quickly spreading down my neck, "We don't talk about it. Remember, it never happened." Jace laughed, throwing his arm over my shoulders and pulling me so that my head rested on him.

"Chris deserves to know!" He announced loudly, "Why don't you tell him. You're better at storytelling than I am."

"Hold up." I shot him a bland look, "You want Chris to know the most embarrassing story of my life, and you want me to tell it."

"Yup." He grinned, standing up and brushing off his legs.

"Ugh!" I groaned, "I hate you."

"No you don't." He leaned down and pecked me on the cheek. I glared at him as he moved to stand next to Chris, no doubt to comment as I told the story.

"So," I huffed, "A long time ago… In a galaxy far, far away." Jace shot me a glare, and I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay starting over," I began again, "When we were in ninth grade one night, we decided to come up here…"

—-

**9 Years Ago**

"Why are girls so complicated." Jace groaned, lying down and looking up the stars.

"Who did you piss off this time?" I sat down behind him, shooting him an accusing glare.

"Well, last week, I kissed Sophie, you remember that, right?" He asked, and I nodded in response, "But today I kissed Jessamine, and Sophie totally flipped on me. I mean it's not like we were going out or anything, but Sophie got James to try and beat me up-"

"What the hell?!" I interjected, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? What-"

"Calm down," he shushed me, "the tables turned on him. I gave him a shiner, but there wasn't any real damage."

"Jace!" I sighed, nudging him with my foot, "One, when you kiss a girl, she might have expectations for after that kiss. Dating for example. And two, fighting with James?! Why did you… Gah what I'm I gonna do with you?"

"Hey," he defended, "James was the one who came after me." I pinched the bridge of my nose, sighing.

"What would you have done if some guy played me like you played Sophie?" I pointed out.

"Umm…" Jace struggled to find an answer, but eventually gave up, "I hate it when you're right." He grabbed my arm, pulling me down next to him.

"Dating is too complicated." I turned toward him, poking him in the head for no apparent reason. He swatted my hand away.

"We should get married." He shrugged, "I mean, I'm a total catch for you, and I guess you're not that bad."

"Shut up!" I shoved him and he laughed, grabbing my hand.

"Seriously, what would it be like if we got married though?" He asked, and I bit my lip, pondering the question.

"We would date for a few years-" I started, but Jace cut me off.

"What?! A few years?" He exclaimed.

"Yes Jace, moving on," I continued, "We would get married… Somewhere nice."

"How about Maui?" He supplied, "We would have it on the beach. Not a lot of people, only the ones really close to us."

"We'd live here in New York." I picked up the slack, "At first, maybe with the Lightwoods in the Institute, but then we'd get a house of our own."

"It'd have to be walking distance from central park, cause you'd always want to paint there." He smiled, closing his eyes, "And we'd have your gallery right around the corner."

"And it also has to be close to your martial arts studio." I squeezed his hand, "Three years after out wedding, we'll have our first kid."

"A girl," his eyelids lifted, revealing the amber sparks that lay beneath, "Her name will be Seraphina… In honor of your dad." I cleared my throat, not believing the simple words were making me choked up. It's not like we were actually planning our future, so why did that make me feel so warm?

"Then our second kid," I cleared my throat once again, "a boy. His name will be Jensen."

"And then our third kid will be another boy, and his name will be…" Jace trailed off.

"Jared or Misha." I supplied, and Jace snorted.

"Are you just gonna name all our kids after Supernatural characters?" He raised an eyebrow.

"That's exactly right." I scowled, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yes," Jace answered instantly, "Look, you know I love that show too, but not enough to name our _children_ after people on it."

"Fine," I relented, "How about Ezra?"

"Another TV show!" He shouted in exasperation, "I'll give you Misha. How about Dean? At least he's in the show, not a real life person."

"Thank you!" I threw my arms around him, and he returned the hug, laughing, "You're the best husband ever. This is why I love you!"

"I'm not done yet," He returned the hug, and I rested my head on his chest, "We're gonna have another girl. This one won't be planned, but we'll be so glad it happened. She'll be a Momma's girl, and her name will be Tessa."

"I love it." I whispered softly, pecking his cheek, "But don't you have to propose to me first?"

He laughed, pushing me off of him, and I stood up. He kneeled down onto one knee, fishing in his pocket and pulling out an arcade ring. It was nothing special, just a cheap red thin band. It looked almost like a really thin cylinder tied into a knot at the top, but it looked tied in a way that it didn't end.

_Eternal, like our love would be_, I thought sarcastically.

"So uh…" Jace stuttered, trying to find meaningful words, "I like you and your pretty I guess and you aren't horrible, so I wouldn't be sad about being stuck with you forever." I buried my face in my hands, trying to suppress the laughter that wanted to escape.

"Clary will you just say yes already?" He whined, "This is starting to hurt."

"How do you even know I'm gonna say yes? I might not _want_ to marry you."

"Clary!"

"Fine." I sighed dramatically, "I guess you aren't too bad either, and even though that was a crap proposal, I'll marry you." Jace stood, taking my hand back in his own and slipping the band onto my left ring finger. His smile was so dazzling, and mine was spread so wide that my cheeks hurt. For a second, just a fleeting second, I could almost imagine us (older us of course) really in this situation, but for real.

"We should have a song." I blurted, not really intending for the words to leave my mouth, but rolling with it nonetheless, "All couples have a song."

"Uh.." Jace blinked, obviously confused, but then his eyes seemed to light up, "I actually have one that's perfect. I found it last week and I meant to show it to you. It's one of those cheesy love songs you like." He pulled his phone out, scrolling until he found what he was looking for.

"Ah hah!" he exclaimed, "I've got it!" The music started with a soft guitar, and he stared at me, shifting from foot to foot.

"What do we do now?" He scratched the back of his neck as the music sounded in the background. "We dance." I grabbed his hands, swaying awkwardly from side to side. He rolled his eyes.

"If you're my new fiancée, then we are not having our first dance be like… This." He grabbed my arms, stepping closer and wrapping them around his neck. He let his own fall around my waist, and I lied my head down against his collarbone. He pulled me even closer, eliminating whatever space had been left, and then we once again started swaying.

That was when I felt it. At first it was this weird fluttering in my stomach. Then, it slowly grew, and soon, it felt like my entire body was on fire. I gulped, not knowing what to make of it. No, that wasn't it. I knew exactly what it was, but I didn't want to acknowledge it.

"Jace." Apparently, my mind got the shut up message too late.

"Hmm?" He hummed, and I stepped back just enough so that, when I tilted my head back, I could meet his gaze. On of my hands moved up to the nape of his neck, his eyes widened for a fraction of a second. I heard the sharp intake of his breath, but he didn't say anything.

"Are we going to forget tonight ever happened?" I murmured.

"Well, technically it didn't happen yet seeing as this is our future." Jace retorted, but there was a different tone to his voice, one he had never used with me before.

"So we'll forget about all of this tomorrow?" I asked, raising onto my toes.

"Mhm." Was it me, or were his pupils extremely large? I stopped, my lips about four inches from his, and we just stood there, staring into each other's eyes, each of us quickly glancing at the other's lips. Neither of us moving closer. Neither of us moving away. I decided I had done enough, that Jace had gotten the message, but the ball was in his court now. I guess he had the same idea, because he didn't move, almost as if he was waiting for the same thing.

"Jace will you just kiss me already?" I took the initiative, throwing his words back at him, "This is starting to hurt." For a second, neither of us breathed, then, his mouth stretched into the absolute most dazzling smile I'd ever seen. I swear my heart stopped beating for a second.

"Only you, Fray." he started to lean in, but suddenly stopped.

"Wait," He scanned my face, worry evident in his gaze, "Clary, this is your first kiss, you shouldn't waste it on-" I put my finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Jace," I spoke slowly, hoping to get through to him, "Remember? This night hasn't even happened. I'll have my first kiss with someone else, but this doesn't count." We both knew it was a lie, that I would never forget this, that it would undoubtedly be my first kiss, but we both had the same mindset (being the idiots we were).

After tonight, we would lock whatever we felt into a box, and shove it to the farthest corner of our hearts, because we were best friends, nothing more, nothing less. And that's just how it would be. We didn't feel anything for each other, because that would be weird.

"Clary-" He tried to protest, but again, I cut him off.

"Do you want this?" I spoke the words clearly, "Because if you don't, say it. Don't use this to get out of it."

"What do you think?" He asked, as if I was stupid. He delicately tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His hand rested on the side of my face, and his thumb traced my cheekbone.

"I just… I don't want you to regret this." He looked down, and I could almost feel the self loathing coursing off of him in waves, "I don't want you to waste your first kiss on a player like me… On a person like me."

"Jace," he tilted his head back up at the sound of my voice, "There's no one else I would rather be here with, so just shut up and kiss me."

He shot me another one of those dazzling smiles, and I returned it, and our eyes filled with an emotion that our minds couldn't comprehend at that point. My eyelids fluttered shut and he leaned down, eliminating the few inches between us. I'm not gonna lie and say that I was naturally an amazing kisser. I wasn't exactly good, but my body seemed to move on instinct. Jace was so gentle and careful with me, guiding me through patiently until I finally got the hang of it.

And we stayed kissing under the stars.

And Chasing Cars played on a loop.

And in that moment, we were the only two people in the world.

But the kissing ended, and I linked arms with Jace. We started our climb down from the roof, and he have me one last kiss goodbye, and then we went our separate ways, forcing our minds and our hearts to forget the event that never happened.

—-

**Present Day**

"… But I never took off that ring. I've kept it on a necklace since that night…" I trailed off as I realized Chasing Cars was playing. A soft smile crossed my lips as I stared at the lights of the cars below us.

"Jace," I started to turn to face the two men, "I'm gonna cry if you keep playing that song." The last word died on my lips as I took in the scene in front of me. Jace was down on one knee, holding out a ring that looked like a really thin cylinder with a knot at the top. But this time, instead of cheap plastic, it looked like white gold, and in the middle of the knot sat a glistening diamond.

"So uh… I like you and your pretty I guess and you aren't horrible, so I wouldn't be sad about being stuck with you forever." He repeated his exact words from that night, and my hands went to my mouth.

"Okay, wait, that's not my real proposal." He backtracked, "What I really want to say is that Clary Fray, you are the absolute most beautiful, kind, and amazing woman I have ever had the pleasure to know. You've been there for all my life. Through the ups and the downs, the twists and the turns, you've been there for me. I don't know what my life would be without you, and I don't even want to imagine it, so Clarissa Adele-"

"Wait." I stopped him, voice shaking, "We… we just started dating two days ago." He raised an eyebrow, almost as if he was expecting me to say that.

"Really?" He asked, "Clary, we've been dating half our lives. All those dinners we went to together. Just us. All those nights when we would sneak away from the group and cuddle up on my bed and watch movies. All those kisses during truth or dare. All those times when we would hold hands or just be touching because we couldn't stand not to. How we would both get jealous when the other person was dating someone else. Clary, we have been dating for as long as I remember, and we both knew it. On some level we did, but we just didn't want to admit it."

I knew everything he said was true. It wasn't like I would be marrying a guy after two days of dating. We had been dating for as long as even I could remember, and no one we knew, not even us, would deny it. I knew the moment Jace saw my resolve and realization, because a spark ignited his golden irises.

"Clary will you just say yes already?" He whined with a smirk, "This is starting to hurt."

"How do you even know I'm gonna say yes? I might not want to marry you." I spoke the words, but with my voice crack, it wasn't very convincing. He slipped the ring on my finger as tears cascaded down both of our cheeks.

We both had those unbreakable smiles as he stood up, capturing my lips in a kiss. And then he pulled back long enough for me to rest my head on his collarbone. We danced to the soft music, but I couldn't control the words that tumbled out of my mouth.

"What about the show?" I voiced the question that had been itching at the back of my mind, "And the girls."

"I haven't kissed any other girl but you and Seelie by accident because I thought she was you." He answered, and I knew it was the truth, "I told them all that it was because I was saving it for my wife. I don't care about the other girls, but I do have a binding contract. I mean, I've broken it several times, but they have no idea. I just couldn't wait anymore." He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and I smiled into his shirt.

"Jace is my fiancee." I tried out the words, "Jace is my soon to be husband."

"Clay is my fiancee," He repeated, "Clary is my soon to be wife." I laughed through my happy tears.

And we kissed again under the stars.

And we danced to Chasing Cars.

And in that moment, I felt infinite.

But this time, we didn't lock our feelings in a tiny little box. This time we cherished them, relished in them. When we finally stopped dancing, I looked towards Chris, who had a soft smile on his face.

"You knew!" I shouted, "He told you before you guys came up here. You knew."

"Well, someone had to record that." He said matter-of-factly. I rushed over and threw my arms around him. "I'm really, _really_ gonna have to lie my ass off when we get back."

"You are." I answered, not wanting to lie, "Thank you. And we'll call the cameras to get footage of us going to dinner."

"Perfect!" he smiled, "And for the record, we spent all day in the cemetery because you wanted a lot of time with your Mom. Got it?"

"Got it." Jace and I answered in unison.

"Now let's go to dinner and celebrate the happy couple." Chris threw his hands up happily.

"Wait." Jace grabbed my arm, "You can't wear that ring yet." I sighted, unclasping the chain from my neck and slipping the real ring on next to it. I was about to reclasp around my neck, but it was taken from my hands.

"Let me." Jace murmured into my ear, and I raised my hair to give him access. I sucked in a sharp breath as his fingers brushed against my skin, and I could almost see his smirk.

"I love you." he whispered, "More than you'll ever know."

"I love you most." I replied, pressing one last kiss to his lips before we started our climb back down.

—-

There was nothing remarkable about dinner. It was as normal as we could possibly make it. Then, we drove back to the airport, and boarded the plane. The last thing I remember before falling asleep, lying on the couch and tucked in Jace's arms was something one of the cameramen said.

"You know." he whispered, trying not to wake us, "Those two are gonna get married someday."

**BOOM SHAKALAKA! Bet none of you were expecting that! Hey, I wasn't gonna have Jace propose to her the normal, generic show way. Because they aren't normal. I really hope you guys love me for this, and again THE ONE SHOT COMPETITION IS CLOSING SOON. IF I GET TEN I WILL DO A CHAPTER OF YOUR CHOICE IN JACE'S POV. I love you guys, and hope this makes up for the sad chapters. And I expect a lot of reviews ;). Until next time, my faithfuls!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	19. REMINDER

**Okay you guys, don't kill me, but this isn't technically a chapter. PLEASE READ THIS. SERIOUSLY. IF YOU WANT A CHAPTER IN JACE'S POV YOU SHOULD KEEP READING.**

**The one shot competition is coming to an end. There are only about three more chapters until it CLOSES. I currently have 5 submissions, so we are HALFWAY THERE.**

**CMON! I know you guys have it in you! You can do this. I BELIEVE! Best part? You guys will get to CHOOSE what chapter is in Jace's POV, not me. This is all up to the fans. It's on you guys. I've done as much as I can, but I can go no further *dramatic sigh*. **

**Okay seriously though. Even guests can post it in the reviews as long as you leave a name for me to ID you by. But I REALLY do believe you guys.**

**Let's give some ideas and starters to help out... Shall we?**

**My eyelashes fluttered open as the light flooded into the room. "Morning Jace." I muttered reaching forward, only to realized that the normally golden eyes were a dark brown. "What the hell Izzy?!" I shrieked, "What are you... OHMIHOLYGOODNESS! I'm getting married today!"...**

**"C-Clary?" His deep voice rumbled, and my eyes grew wide. My first thought was, of course, ****_why would he be saying _****her****_ name?_**** But then I realized that he ****_actually_**** thought I was that short, scrawny, carrot top. After that epiphany, I, Seelie Queen, said a word that I would regret for the rest of my life. "Yes?"...**

**I buried my face in my hands. Watching them was torture. It was like putting candy in front of a kid and telling them not to eat it. "Mmmrph." I protested through my brother's hand. "Do ****_not_**** ruin this moment Isabelle Lightwood." Alec hissed in my ear, and a frown pulled at my lips as I watched my adoptive brother and best friend dance...**

**"Why are you torturing me?" I whined. The raven haired, blue eyed boy in front of my simply grinned, ignoring my complaining. "Do you ****_enjoy_**** watching me suffer?" I sighed dramatically for emphasis, and Alec let out a strained laugh, obviously trying to hold back. "Magnus," He placed his hands on my shoulders, "you will survive for a ****_few weeks_**** without looking like a unicorn through up on you."...**

**So? Have I given enough ideas? Enough incentive to CONTINUE ON?! I honestly wanted to continue with the Magnus idea just because I can literally SEE the Alec's impending doom at insulting Magnus's fashion choice. I hope you can too ;). Feel free to use any of these starters, or use the base ideas and twist them to your own liking.**

**I would ****_LOVE_**** if you wrote your own, or continued these or WHATEVER YOU WANT. *throws glitter in the air in total Magnus fashion*. Oh, and I just have to include this because I found it on Instagram and it's amazing.**

**A Song For Magnus:**

**Magnus Bane  
Go insane  
Throw some glitter  
Make it rain**

**Okay, bye my faithfuls, and PLEASE PLEASE Keep Calm and Write On ;P Buh-Bye again.**

**-Shadowhunter5801**

**PS Just an update on me, I'm watching The Help and bawling my eyes out like every time.**


	20. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

**WARNING SO I WILL BE THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT THIS IS NOT THE GREATEST CHAPTER. I KNOW. THE NEXT ONE WILL BE BETTER I SWEAR ON JACE'S MANY LIVES. BUT THIS ONE HAD SOME NEED TO KNOW STUFF IN IT. I DON'T LIKE IT AT ALL, BUT A SUMMARY WILL BE AT THE TOP OF THE NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THIS. PLEASE DON'T UNFOLLOW. THIS BEHAVIOR WILL NOT CONTINUE. OH, AND READ THE A/N AT THE BOTTOM. SERIOUSLY. IF YOU WANT YOUR OWN PERSONAL CLACE FLUFF I RECOMMEND IT.**

**DISCLAIMER: YOU ALL KNOW WHAT THIS IS JUST READ THE CHAPTER :D**

When we got off the plane, it was safe to say that I was on cloud nine, but before we got inside, Jace pulled me away. He gave the cameramen a look that clearly said _You follow, you die, _and I rolled my eyes, allowing him to tug me into the bushes.

"You can't tell the group." He said instantly, and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Uh, well duh." I smirked, "I don't think the rest of the bachelorettes would like to know that their Bachelor is taken."

"No." He shook his head, "I mean _our_ group. Izzy, Alec, Magnus, Simon, Jordan, and Maia."

"Wait what?" I couldn't have heard him right, "You mean you just _proposed_ to me, and I can't tell my closest friends? Do you not want them to know?" A small wave of hurt flared up inside me, but I suppressed it, wanting to let him explain before I made assumptions.

"No!" Jace's seemed genuinely surprised at my reaction. Hell, I was surprised by my reaction. He put his hands on my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes.

"That's not it at all." His peeks were tinged a slight pink, and he looked down at his feet, "It's just, I've always wanted to… I wanted to make it special. Not like a dirty little secret." My cheeks grew a matching shade of red as I placed my finger under his chin, tilting his head up and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. He tucked my head neatly under his, and I heard him sigh.

"Can I be honest with you?" I asked, innocently peeking up at him through my lashes.

"Of course." I could see the apprehension in his gaze.

"Well," I let a wide smile grace my face, and he relaxed, which was a very huge mistake on his part. "That's bullshit." I continued, crossing my arms, but keeping the same smile plastered to my face, "You and I both know that neither of us care about making a big deal out of things. As long as they're there, I'm happy. Jace Wayland, I have known you your entire life, so I _know_ it's the same for you. Now I'm giving you one chance to explain yourself without me getting mad." He gulped, running his fingers though his hair.

"I should've known," He chuckled softly to himself before speaking again, "You know I could probably get sued for this big time, right? I mean, I have a contract with the show that's legally binding. I'm not even allowed to sat _I love you_ until the proposal time." I sighed seeing his logic, and chose to focus on the fact that, even though all that could happen, he proposed. He actually proposed.

"Is this weird?" He asked out of the blue, obviously realizing he was forgiven, "I mean, a week ago, we were best friends. Just best friends. And now we're getting married… Is this to fast?" I looked up, meeting his golden gaze.

"When was our first "date"?" I asked, smirking, "Say it on three. One. Two. Three."

"The day you got your driver's license." He said at the same time I shouted, "The day I got my license." He closed his eyes, as if sinking into the memory.

"You knocked on my window at five in the morning…" He started.

"And you were already up waiting for me…" I continued.

"You had your favorite Fall Out Boy shirt on, and your ripped jeans."

"And you were wearing a white shirt and your dark jeans."

"We climbed out my window and down the trellis, only to find my parents at the door."

"They just laughed and handed you the keys, because you're an idiot and got your driver's license before me."

"And I drove you to breakfast at Denny's."

"Then we were at the DMV right when it opened at 8."

"You were the first one to get your license because you we were the only ones psychotic enough to be there a half hour before the place opened."

"So you let me drive us to the beach."

"And we spent the day there, just playing frisbee and messing around."

"Then we started exploring by the cliffside, and I conveniently found a little cove."

"Where there was a candlelit dinner set up."

"And all my favorite food."

"And your favorite music."

"So we ate dinner and dessert."

"Then you curled up in front of me, and I wrapped my arms around you."

"And I leaned back into you while we watched the sunset together."

"I really wanted to kiss you."

"I really wanted you to kiss me."

"But I was too chicken to make the move."

"I was too chicken to ask."

"So like the idiots we were, we ignored our feelings for the whateverith time."

"But we held hands while we walked beck to the car."

"Then we realized we'd left our phones in the car."

"And we'd gotten like 50 calls total from the group."

"Reminding us about the dinner we were supposed to have celebrating your birthday."

"So I broke a crapload of speeding laws."

"We made it only ten minutes late."

"Izzy yelled at us for not answering all the calls and texts."

"She asked where we were."

"But we mentally communicated, and didn't tell the group about the dinner."

"Because we knew they would tease the hell out of us."

"And because I was afraid that they'd tell me I had a crush on you, and I didn't want to face that possibility."

"And because I was scared that they would tell me that we went on a date, and I didn't want to face that possibility."

"I told myself that you were Jace, my best friend."

"And I told myself that you were Clary, my best friend."

We both blushed, but we seemed determined not to break eye contact, and I couldn't hide the wild smile that was starting to make my cheeks ache.

"There was also all those times we had dinner at Taki's, just the two of us." He added. "We had all those movie nights, and they would end with you holding me in your arms." I jumped in.

"The trips to the beach."

"The times we _actually _went to the movie theater."

"There was that one night when we had the hotel room with just the two of us." Jace snorted, "Do you think it was because they really couldn't stand us, or they just wanted to see how awkward it would be for us to be alone in a room, sharing a bed?"

"Izzy was the instigator, so it was definitely option B." I laughed, "They had no idea that we had shared a bed who knows how many times." Mischief suddenly sparkled in Jace's eyes, and I tilted my head, silently questioning him.

"We snuggled that night." He said nonchalantly, then wiggled his eyebrows, and my mouth dropped. I racked my brain, the memory resurfacing. When I dozed off, I distinctly remembered being on the _complete _opposite side of the bed as Jace. Purposely, of course. I had woken up, but he was already getting dressed in the bathroom. In no way did I remember the so called _snuggling_.

"Yeah right." I rolled my eyes, lightly elbowing him, "Nice try, but unless _you_ were the one that started it while _I_ was sleeping, we did not snuggle."

"_I_ was not the one that started it," He poked the tip of my nose, and I slapped the side of his head, "Ow! _Anyways_," He glared at me before continuing, "You fell asleep, and for some reason, you spread up, and took over like 90 percent of the bed. I was half off the mattress, so I tried to shove you over. You moved a tiny bit, but you were awkwardly pressed up against me. I tried putting my arms somewhere that they wouldn't touch you, but there was literally _nowhere_ to put them. I just thought _what the hell_, and threw one arm over you, and the other one was above your head. Somehow, I fell asleep like that. When I woke up, our arms were wrapped around each other, our legs were tangled, and your face was buried in my shoulder, tucked under my chin. The funny thing? We were in the middle of the bed, and not even using most of it. AND the other thing happened. So this pretty much confirms the fact that we've been a couple for just about seven years. We've just cheated on each other a lot." My cheeks flared, and I looked down, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Jace, being Jace, didn't comfort me like a normal boyfriend- _fiance- _would.

"Clary likes Ja-ace." He sang, "Clary likes Ja-ace."

"Stop it." I whined, sticking my tongue out at him. He quieted down, then leaned over, and I assumed he was going to give me an apologetic kiss on the cheek, but I was wrong. He stopped when his mouth rested right next to my ear. _Don't you_ before I could even complete the thought, Jace's breath tickled my ear as he whispered, "Clary likes Ja-ace."

"YOU SON OF A-" I stopped mid shout, letting the corner of my lip tip up before singing, "Jace likes Cla-ry." And that was when the war started. We stood there for at least five minutes, singing the dreaded phrases over and over, both of us trying to be louder than the other. A throat finally cleared behind us, and we stopped mid sentence. I whipped around to find Aline and Helen staring at us, shaking with horribly contained laughter.

"You know, Kaelie and Seelie are all waiting in there and staring at the door like hawks." Aline commented, "We had to come out back so they wouldn't follow." I rocked back and forth on my heels, staring up and the sky and biting my lip, while Jace awkwardly coughed behind me.

"Well, I think that's my cue to leave. You girls have fun." He muttered, and I turned to stop him, but he was already gone.

"Asshole." I growled, turning back to my two friends. By this time, they had given up being silent, and began laughing uncontrollably.

"Are you two done?" I asked after a couple minutes, and the two sobered up instantly.

"Um yeah…" Helen twisted her long hair, refusing to look me in the eyes, "We actually have to talk to you about something."

"Is everything okay?" My brow furrowed in concern. Helen turned to Aline, and they seemed to communicate without words. Aline sighed, nodding her head at the other girl, then took my arm, guiding me farther back into the garden.

"So we haven't exactly been honest with you." I heard Aline swallow, and her hand shook on my arm, "Just so you know, we already told Jace about this." She fell silent, and I saw Helen squeeze her hand reassuringly before turning back to me.

"We're together." She stated simply, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Wait what?" My head started spinning, "You mean you and Jace."

"No." Aline spoke up, voice hoarse, "_We're_ together. Helen and I." Then, the word vomit began. Both girls spoke at the same time, too fast and garbled up for me to hear. I caught phrases like _so sorry_ and _if you hate us_, but those were just about the only things I could discern.

"Stop!" I held my hands us, and they closed their mouths, eye wide, like frightened animals. "First off, I would never hate you guys. Second, I need all the details!" I smirked, trying (and failing) to wiggle my eyebrows. The tension seemed to drain out of them, and now _they_ were the surprised ones.

"You mean, you're not mad?" Helen asked, voice small and hopeful. "Of course not!" I answered instantly, "I mean, I'm confused as hell, but I'm not mad. So please enlighten me." That was all it took for the two to smile at each other, then begin.

"Once upon a time-" "Seriously?" I interrupted Helen.

"Shut your faces!" Aline joked, slapping a hand over my mouth, "And let me tell the story." I mumbled some incoherent, garbled curses, but let her continue. "So Helen and I hooked up on the first night…"

**As I said, I have done, and will do, much better. BUT ANYWAYS READ THIS PART. I need a new cover for this story, so if you submit one, you will get to choose between the hotel room story (Jace and Clary's POV, one of the movie stories (Clary OR Jace's POV), OR the full driver's license beach day story (Clary OR Jace's POV). Email it to thebachelortmi gmail . com (Yes I was bored and made an email for this). I will PM you one of the stories of your choice. IF YOU SUBMIT A ONESHOT you get TWO of the stories. If you ALREADY SUBMITTED A ONESHOT PM me which ones you want me to send you. That is all. Oh, and a random life update on me: I suck at selfies. And I should probably be doing homework BUT I'M NOT **

**(-_-)/**

**/ ( )**

**Bye my faithfuls! Until next time**

**-Shadowhunter5801**

**PS What's your fav Disney princess? Admit it. We all have one. Mine is Pocahontas!**

**PPS I just tried to microwave beef stroganoff. It almost exploded. It was bubbling everywhere and GUESS WHAT?! ITS STILL COLD**


	21. Madness

**HIIIIIIII! Fanfiction would NOT LET ME POST LIKE I NORMALLY DO FOR A FREAKING WEEK, but I'm back and guess what! WE ARE SO CLOSE TO THE TOP PAGE YOU CAN ALMOST TASTE IT (Release your inhibitions. Feel the rain on your skin) (sorry, I had to)! We are literally at 29 and I need to get to 25! WE CAN DO THIS! I'm so happy right now and I watched a movie called Horns! Daniel Radcliffe was in it but guess what! He had an American accent. Let me tell you a thing. That is not, nor will it ever be, in the natural order of things. Daniel is British and that is that.**

**DISCLAIMER: Yeah yeah you guys know.**

"You're up, Little Red." Jace announced as he sauntered into the common room. He flopped on the couch between Seelie and Kaelie, both girls leaning in a little too close for my liking. Let me explain.

Hometown visits had begun this week, conveniently, we all lived in New York, so it wasn't much of a trek, but this year's show went a little different. Instead of having a Fantasy Suite night, Jace would stay the night at our houses along with our families. The point of that was to ensure the safety as Chris put it. Rumor has it that not a season has gone by without things happening at least once in the suites, and it was becoming a concern for the producers that certain… mistakes might happen. Kaelie and Seelie had already gotten their night, and Jace had met their families first.

There was a day in between each visit, so, as always, Jace snuck into my room those nights. He'd complained that it had been horrible, seeing as most of the families' questions had revolved around one thing. Money. He said that he had a guilty conscience about what we were doing, but that quickly disappeared when he saw what Kaelie and Seelie's intentions were. That brought us to today.

I sat on the far side of the couch, my hair tied in a haphazard bun, wearing a pair of sweats and an I love you more than pizza nightshirt from Pink (a.k.a the place with the best sweats and PJ's ever). I barely looked up from my copy of Thirteen Reasons Why at his voice. "Mhmm." I mumbled, trying to hide my tears and shaky voice as I read the last page.

(A/N tiny spoiler but not a big one at all. Just the last lines.)

Two steps behind her, I say her name.

"Skye."

"Oh my Freaking everything, what the, I just, that was, asdfghjkl." The fangirl noises escaped my mouth, and I couldn't stop them, but at that point, I didn't care. Jace, Kaelie, Seelie, and Chris all stared at me with similar what just happened expressions. I ignored them as a few more tears fell, staring at the page like my eyes could magically reveal more writing, because even though it was an absolutely AMAZING ending, I wanted to know more.

"Damn books." I muttered, slamming it shut and dropping it not-so-gently on the ground, then picking it up and apologizing profusely for the abuse. I finally looked up to see everyone still staring at me.

"What?" I swiped at the tear trails on my face, "Never seen a girl finish an amazing book?"

"Aww, does baby need a waambulance?" Surprisingly, the comment didn't come from either of the girls in the room.

"Shut up." I shot Jace a dark look, and he snorted.

"Waa waa, waa waa." He chanted, and I growled under my breath.

"That's it!" I got up from my seat, standing over Jace, and he fell silent, gulping with wide eyes. Before I could do anything, Jace jumped to his feet, shoving passed me.

"Oh no you don't" I yelled, wrapping my arms around his waist and taking us both to the floor. We viciously fought for the top position, scratching, pulling hair, biting, everything was fair game. Finally, I saw my open spot, and attacked the weakness that I had been wanting to this whole time.

"Don't you dare!" Jace warned as he realized what I was about to do.

"You brought this on yourself." I smirked, then attacked his sides with my fingertips. He curled into the fetal position, please of stop it! interrupting his laughter from time to time.

"Uncle!" He finally screamed, and I halted.

"Do you solemnly swear never to tease me about a book again?" I kept my fingers in their threatening position.

"No." Jace replied with a snort.

"Fair enough." I shrugged, satisfied with the amount of suffering I had put him through. I brushed myself off, offering Jace a hand up, which he blatantly ignored. The other three stared at us with varying expressions. Chris and, I'm surprised to say, Kaelie had amusement written on their features. Seelie looked like she'd just eaten a lemon. Scratch that, she looked like she'd eaten about fifteen of them.

"Well if you'll all excuse me," Jace smiled like nothing happened, "I need to go get ready for today. And so do you." Jace raised an eyebrow at me as if to say Hurry up. I groaned.

"It's only 7:30 in the morning!" I whined, "I don't wanna."

"Clary."

"No."

"Clary."

"No."

"Clary!"

"Jace!"

"That's it!" Without giving any previous indicating to what he was about to do, Jace threw me over his shoulder.

"Wayland!" I shrieked.

"Fray!" He repeated in a high pitched, mocking tone. I slammed my fists into his back to no avail, finally giving up and slumping down. He opened the unlocked door to my room (Huh, probably not the best idea to leave it open.), and duped me on my bed.

"You have an hour. Look presentable." He instructed.

"But it's just my-"

"No buts." He cut me off with a teasing smile, "I dare you to dress up. It'll freak out everyone, and it'll be worth it just to see their faces." My best friend- fiancee- knew exactly what to say to motivate me, both a blessing and a curse.

"Deal." I gave him a light shove toward the doorway, "Now leave."

—-

I stared at myself in the mirror, surprised at the girl that stared back at me. I had the Grease-looking top on, paired with black skinny jeans, a black leather jacket, and black, stiletto, knee high boots. Needless to say, Isabelle had packed a few… surprises for me in my suitcase. I licked my cherry red lips, the smoky eyeshadow making my green eyes pop, my red hair tumbling down my shoulders in soft waves.

"Clare are you…" Jace trailed off, body half in-half out of the room. He stepped inside fully, taking his sweet time looking me up and down.

"No." He shook his head, "Do you have any idea how your family would react if you came in… that?"

"I thought that was the point." I laughed at Jace's obvious internal panic.

"No." His voice was firm this time, "The point was to surprise them, not to cause my death." I rolled my eyes as jace shifted though my closet, finally pulling out a strapless, yellowish orange top, a black sash around it's middle. "Take off the top, put this one on, and wiped the makeup off. Everything else can stay. Go." He shoved the top into my hands, pointing to the bathroom. I stuck my tongue out, but did what he said.

"Much better." He breathed when I walked out, then he took my hand in his own, and we walked down to the car.

"Oh it's so nice to have my baby back." Jace sighed as he slid into the seat of his car, then started driving.

"Jace-" I was cut off by his, "I can't stop saying how long it's been since-"

"Jace-"

"I just can't believe-"

"JACE!"

"What?" He turned to me, shocked my my outburst. "You don't know where I live." With great effort, I stifled my laughter as Jace pulled over to the side of the road, grumbling about how he wasn't even aloud to drive his own car. I switched spots with him, pulling away and driving yet again. An awkward silence settled over us. With Chris and two cameramen in the backseats, it was safe to say that I felt a little… suffocated.

"Ninety nine bottles of beer on the wall," The tune burst from my mouth out of nowhere, "Ninety nine bottles of beer."

"Take one down, pass it around." Jace joined in.

"Ninety eight bottles of beer on the wall." Chris sang with us.

"Ninety eight bottles of beer on the wall, ninety eight bottles of beer." Now the two cameramen (I think their names were Kade and Luke) were singing too.

"Take one down, pass it around, ninety seven bottles of beer on the wall." Needless to say, the uncomfortable air vanished, and we were entertained for the entire half-hour drive to my house.

—-

We were a well-off family. That was easy to see when we got to my house. It was, well, huge. Not The Institute (Aka "Lightwood Manor") huge, but pretty huge. My mother was a famous artist, and my stepdad, (well, he was my real dad in all the ways that count) Luke, owned one of the most successful publishing companies on the east coast.

"Don't worry," Jace murmured as we exited the car, "It's just the twins and your parents." He said it more to himself than to me. I pulled out my key, not bothering to knock as I opened the door, knowing my family probably wouldn't hear me. You see, all of my friends and my brothers attended NYU, and everyone thought it would be more simple to stay in our houses and not pay for apartments. Our parents probably extremely regretted that decision.

"BOYS!" I heard my mom yell, "HURRY UP THEY'RE COMING SOON." There was a pause then, "JONATHAN CHRISTOPHER FRAY AND SEBASTIAN VERLAC FRAY, YOU ARE GOING TO BE ON NATIONAL TELEVISION. GO PUT ON SHIRTS NOW!"

"But MOM!" The protests arose from both twins at once.

"Boys!" Luke cut them off, "Listen to your mother!" It was clear they were in the kitchen. There was silence until, "JONATHAN GET YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM THOSE COOKIES. THAT MEANS YOU TOO SEBASTIAN."

Then, they separated, all of them running around the house, and none of them noticing the entire camera crew, Jace, and I in the foyer. I sighed, then put two fingers in my mouth, blowing hard. A piercing whistle rang out, and everyone stopped dead, staring like deers in headlights.

"THANK GOD!" My mother was the first one to break the silence, rushing over and wrapping me in her arms, "I thought I was going to die. We can't survive another month without you. How in the hell do you keep those boys in line?" I laughed, hugging my mother back, then Luke and the boys jumped in.

"Hey baby sis." Jon ruffled my hair, and I slapped his hand away, glaring.

"You look so adorable." Seb tweaked my nose, but it only took a glare to make them back away. It was easy to see where we had all gotten our looks from. I was almost a carbon copy of my mother, short, red hair, green eyes. My brothers, however, were a mix. They both had our father's white blond hair, tall stature, sharp jawline, and mouth, but they had Mom's nose and cheekbones. It was almost like you'd copied and pasted one twin from the other, their only difference was their eyes. Sebastian had the brownish black eyes of our father, while Jonathan's were a light green like mine.

"Missed ya, kid." Luke had the wise sense not to touch me, remaining in his spot.

"Hi guys." I offered a little wave, not knowing how to act in front of the cameras, "Uh, this is Jace." The guys all shook his hand, saying their names, but Mom pushed aside the offered hand, wrapping Jace in her arms like she had done with me.

"Welcome to our home." She whispered, and he squeezed her back.

"Thank you." He smiled softly as he pulled away.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, tugging the man behind my forward, "This is Chris, by the way."

"Hi!" Chris waved enthusiastically with a smile. "Come on, let me show you guys the house." I put emphasis on the one word, looking pointedly at each member of my family.

"Yeah right." Seb snorted.

"We." Jonathan shot me a look that said you're not leaving us out, "Will show you the house. As in the three of us. You get one, you get all." I mumbled a few curses under my breath, about to twine my fingers with Jace's, but I realized that my family had no idea that we were more than friends now. It was not something I wanted to say on national TV for the first time, because there was no doubt in my mind that Jon and Seb would go into guard dog mode, even though it was Jace. He looked into my eyes, seeming to realize the same thing, and I gave him the slightest, imperceptible shake of my head.

"So this is the living room!" I gestured around for effect, the cameras following my movements. When the cameras spun away, Jon waved his arms slightly to get my attention.

Hold his hand, my brother mouthed, keep up appearances. I shook my head, a smile tipping up the corners of my lips. Without a word, I twined my fingers with Jace's. He looked down at me with a raised eyebrow, but I just shrugged in response. When the cameras turned back toward us, it was easy to see that they not-so-subtly zoomed in on our connected hands.

I rolled my eyes, leading the group into the kitchen, motioning around, naming the room, then onto the next. This took up a good half hour of our time, seeing as Jon and Seb decided to comment on every little thing that happened. For example, "Hold them hands girl" or "Ooooh she's leaning her head on his shoulder. They're totally hooking up." This had gone on for an entire half hour, and it was only the mantra of This will be on National TV that kept me from tackling them. I was sure Jace was thinking the exact same thing.

"Okay, well." My mom clapped her hands together, "Let's all sit down." We made our way to the living room, acting like the cameras weren't there.

"So," Jon started when we all sat down, "you see, we have this tradition in the Fray household."

"Yeah," Seb snorted, "it's called putting the fear of God into every guy who even considers dating our sister."

"The thing is, she's the baby Fray."

"So it's our duty to protect her from anyone who has the potential to hurt her."

"And God knows that you'd kill her when you hurt her."

"When I hurt her." Jace spoke up, even though it was a part of the drill that he had seen a thousand times. That he had participated in a thousand times, but it seemed to affect him 10,000 times more than it ever had before.

"What, exactly, makes you think I'm going to hurt her?" Jace's voice was low and tight, and I wrapped my hand around his bicep, trying to put some sense into him, to tell him that was just a test, but he didn't even glance in my direction.

"You are on a dating show. Dating two other girls, meeting two other families." Seb scoffed, "I mean, that's low. It's worse than cheating on a girl, and you think for one second that you're good enough for my sister? That you won't crush her heart like a bug?"

No, no, no, no! To any other guy, this would be an okay test. Saying things like this was the test, and it worked every time. But not on Jace. I remembered the phrase he used to think was true. To love is to destroy. To be loved is to be destroyed. And Jon and Seb knew that. They had heard him say it a hundred times. I had never been more mad at my brothers in my entire life.

"Uh, I'll be back." Jace muttered, but I could hear the broken note to his tone, "I have to go a, yeah."

"Jace!" I shouted after him, but I knew what he needed, and that was time. How much, that was the question. I turned on my brothers instantly, and guilt was written on their features.

"Kitchen. Now." I snarled at them, "And if you cameras follow, I swear I will kill every last one of you." The boys followed me, heads hung low.

"How could you." I whispered, the second I shut the door, tears pooling in my eyes, "How the hell could you do that to Jace?!" My voice rose to a scream. "What the hell is wrong with you?! How could you say that to Jace OF ALL PEOPLE? You know… You know how he is. You know what he thinks of himself…" And then I broke down. Sobs racked my body, and I would've fallen if Jon hadn't caught me.

"We're so sorry sis." Seb whispered, "I thought he'd gotten over that. We didn't mean to hurt him."

"AND YOU DID ALL THIS FOR APPEARANCES ON TELEVISION?!" I screamed.

"No." Jon scratched the back of his neck, "We're really putting him through the test… You'd have to be blind to realize how in love you are with him. We only want to protect you." And then I saw it from Jon and Seb's side. They saw a bout of unrequited love. Their little sister being put in a spot where she had to watch the man that she loved date two other girls, and she wasn't even in the picture. I sighed, pushing away from them.

"I get it." I whispered softly, "But I need to go find him… we're… we'll talk about the whole love idea you're getting in a little bit." I walked out of the kitchen door that led to the backyard, then walked to where I knew Jace would be: by the flower garden. I saw him hunched over on the bench, then silently went and sat beside him.

"I know they didn't mean that." He whispered after a minute, then turned to me with a smile.

"I… Uh… What?" The words tumbled out of my mouth in confusion.

"I would've done the same thing." He nudged my shoulder with his, "I mean, I have done the same thing. I'm not some stupid, irrational, hormonal teen anymore, and I sure as hell am not the little boy who thinks to love is to destroy. It's just… There was too much tension in there. It was gonna end badly. Either I would've punched one of them, or they would've punched me, because we have about the same temper level, and let's just say there was no way that would've ended well."

"You know, this is why I love you." I let out a relieved breath, "Now let's go back inside, Jon and Seb feel really bad, and, as much as I want to let them suffer for this, it's not the right thing to do. Stupid conscience." We both got up from the bench, then linked arms, then we looked at each other at the same time, having the same idea. We both began skipping simultaneously toward the house, but were interrupted about halfway.

"Dude I'm so sorry"

"I don't know what we were thinking" "

We didn't mean it"

"I can't believe I said that."

All of these apologies came out in a jumbled mess from my brothers.

"Stop!" Jace held up a hand, laughing, "Do you honestly think I believed you guys? Remember, I was a part of making this whole 'scaring off' plan."

"Thank everything." Seb grinned, then they did that man hug, pat on the back thing.

"Oh, and Clary," Jon spoke up, and I turned toward him, "the thing I said in the kitchen… That was totally out of line. This whole dating show has my sister radar all messed up. We cool?"

"We cool." I confirmed, then Jon and Seb linked arms with Jace and I, and we all skipped back to the house together. And all was right in the world.

—-

"We're meeting in the living room in an five minutes." Jace informed at about 11 at night.

"I know." I smirked, "You know, passing notes like you're in middle school is not the best way to get information across."

"Well it's not like we could say it out loud, the whole point is to do it without the camera guys knowing." Jace pouted, and I pinched his cheek.

"Is little baby sad?" I mock frowned, "Is it time to call you a waambulance." Jace flinched.

"I should've seen that coming." He shook his head with a smile.

"No shit, sherlock." I snorted, grabbing his hand, "It should be safe now." We opened the door, tiptoeing our way down the stairs. Mom, Luke, Jon, and Seb all sat waiting. They all were on the couch facing two chairs. Jace and I sat down apprehensively.

"Why does this feel like an intervention…?" I trailed off at the serious expressions everyone wore, sharing a slightly terrified look with Jace.

"Because it is." Luke answered casually. "

Listen." My mom grabbed both my and Jace's hands, "You two have been dating for seven years at least. You might not have seen it. You still probably don't see it, but you're in love. More in love than any two people I have seen in a long time. I want you to know this before it's too late. Just please think it over, consider it, even for just a minute." Then, they all stared at us in silence, as if waiting for us to have some big revelation. I shared a glance with Jace, and we communicated in silence.

Should we tell them?

Right now probably isn't the best time. There will be screaming involved.

So act like we're thinking over it and wait as long as humanly possible to tell them?

Pretty much yeah.

"Well we can't think it over with you all staring at us." I grumbled, "We need this thing called time."

"So you'll think about it?" Seb asked hopefully.

"We will." Jace fake relented, and they all shared a triumphant look.

"Well that's pretty much all we needed to say, so night." Luke got up, Jon and Seb following, and they left the room, but Mom still sat staring at us.

"It's about time." She smiled, "Took you long enough, I mean, seven years. Geez, Jace."

"Uh Mom?" Jace raised an eyebrow in confusion, "What are you talking about."

"You finally popped the question!" A mischievous smile played on her lips, "That 'necklace' isn't fooling me."

"I.. uh… we didn't… um… what?" Jace and I spit out in a confused jumble.

"Oh!" Mom snapped her fingers, "If it wasn't Jace, then it was Raphael! I know you were dating him when you went on the show."

"WHAT?!" The problem with Jace was that he tended to react before he really thought things through, "What do you mean dating him?" Jace's voice was absolutely lethal, so bad that I actually took a step back.

"Jace." I snapped, "Why the hell would I do that? How could you even think that of me?"

"You aren't denying it." He growled, and hurt sliced through me, but then I looked into his eyes. I looked into his eyes and I saw that little boy who thought he was destroying me.

"Jace," my voice was soft this time, soothing, "Why would I do something like that?"

"Because I'm not good enough for you." He said in a broken whisper, "I lied earlier. What Jon and Seb said today killed me. How could it not? They're right. I've used so many girls, I mean, I broke the heart of literally every girl in Idris High. Right now, I'm on a dating show. I'm dating two other women. All I'll do is destroy you. All I'm doing is destroying you."

"Don't you dare say that." I walked close enough to Jace that our noses almost touched, then I tipped his chin up so his eyes met mine, "You may have done stuff to other girls, but that's your past. You never did anything like that to me. You were my night in shining armor. You scared off all the bad guys, even punched a few.

"You have been there for me every second of my life, through the crap, through the amazing times, and all of it in between. You are the light to my darkness, the sunshine to my night, the corn top to my carrot top. The guy is always the one to propose so dammit, so I didn't get to say this. You are the love of my life, and nothing will ever change that." I pressed my lips softly to his, and when I moved back, he pulled me close again, this time pressing his lips to my forehead. No words were needed as we stood there together, lost in our own world.

"So, about that not engaged thing…" Mom smirked, her phone held high in all it's video recording glory.

Jace and I glanced at each other, "So, we kinda have something to tell you…"

"I CALLED IT!" I heard hushed yells, "You both owe me 50 bucks!"

"Shut up they're gonna hear us!"

"Luke, move I can't see."

"Unless you can see through doors, you won't be able to anyways."

"Both of you be quiet!"

"It got silent in there."

"What's going on?"

"Do you think they're making out?"

"Do I have to go get my shotgun?"

"LUKE, let them have their moment!"

I marched over to the door, pulling it open, and my brothers and stepdad fell face first into the carpet.

"Do you have something to say for yourselves?" I raised an eyebrow at the three.

"I won a hundred bucks off these two." Luke offered a sheepish smile. "Sit down on the couch." Jace ordered, then we assumed our earlier positions, Jace and I on the chairs with the others facing us.

"I'm guessing you want to know how this all happe-"

"YES!" They chorused, cutting me off.

**Of course Jace couldn't be unaffected by that I mean c'mon, extremely damaged self esteem behind a cocky exterior is Jace's thing and I LITERALLY JUST REALIZED HOW I'M GOING TO END THIS STORY AND I HOPE YOU'RE ALL GONNA LOVE IT! But we're not quite there yet! Sorta close but not quite! I hope you loved this and LET ME REMIND YOU ABOUT A THING CALLED THE ONESHOT COMPETITION! IT IS COMING TO A CLOSE VERY SOON, AND WE STILL NEED MORE TO GET TO THAT JACE'S POV! So long my faithfuls! Until next time!**

**PS What's your top 5 book list (it can be books or series)? I need some suggestions for books to read!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	22. Here Comes the Bride

**Hey y'all! I was able to write an entire chapter in one day cause I was home sick and thought **_**why the heck not**_**. Still sick, but I feel a little better now that I've actually done something! Also, as a reminder, ONE SHOT COMPETITION! We've got six now FOUR MORE ENTRIES AND WE GET THE JACE POV! And also, I wanted the book stuff last week cause I need some books to read!**

**Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. The plot is.**

"Good morning everyone!" Jace chirped, walking into the kitchen with a smile on his face. I, however, was the exact opposite. I trailed behind him, lips pulled down into a frown, vision still blurry with sleep.

"Good morning, Clare!" Seb greeted happily, and my only reply was a harsh glare. He suddenly pulled his hand from behind him, holding a mug of steaming hot coffee. My entire demeanor changed, a bright smile lighting up my features.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" I kissed him on the cheek before snatching the cup from his hand, sipping on the liquid of the gods. I moaned, my head tipping back as I let out a content sigh. I took a seat at the table, right in between Chris and Jace, right across from the twins.

"How long did it take you to make all this, Mrs. Fray?" Chris asked, eyebrows raised.

"Call me Jocelyn." My mother laughed, "And it didn't take long at all with my husband and the twins helping me." My fork stopped halfway to my mouth.

"Wait…" I eyed my brothers warily, "_Both _of you helped?"

"As in Sebastian touched the food?" Jace continued for me as I set the utensil back on my plate. Sebastian Fray was out equivalent to Isabelle Lightwood. If either one of the so much as _touched_ the stove, the food was guaranteed to be burnt to a crisp, explosive, or toxic.

"Don't worry." Jon assured, "All we had him do was hand us stuff. He didn't mess with the ingredients." _Thank everything,_ I praised silently, shoveling some of the food into my mouth.

"Ladylike." Jace snorted sarcastically as I ate. I narrowed my eyes at him, swallowing.

"I'll have you know that my mother and brother cook _very_ delicious food." I defended, "So there is no possible way to eat it in 'small, ladylike bites'. Go on, try it." I urged Jace, the camera crew, and Chris. They all took a bite at the same time.

"Oh god." One of the camera guys, Jared, exclaimed.

"This is-"

"Amazing!" Chris cut the other guy, Richard, off. I smirked as Jace tried to speak around the large amount of food currently in his mouth, but he couldn't.

"I think I've made my point." I declared, before diving back in.

"So," Jonathan wiped his mouth before sharing a devious look with Seb, "how long are you guys staying with us?"

"I have no idea…" I answered slowly, scared of what was to come.

"Well," Seb jumped in, "you can stay however long you like. We have no prior _engagements_." _Oh god,_ I thought to myself, _This can't be happening._ I resisted the urge to bury my face in my hands.

"Yeah." Jon smiled, "We _set the date_ aside." Okay, now I actually did hide my face in my arms, knowing the torture was just beginning.

"Hey, Clare, can you call my phone quick?" Luke asked, and I silently thanked him for the distraction.

"Sure." I pulled out my own phone, dialing his number. All of a sudden _Here Comes the Bride _began blasting from somewhere in the kitchen.

"Oh, whoops," Luke faked a blush, "Looks like I set the wrong ringtone. Sorry Clare, my mistake."

"Yeah, because you definitely just have that lying around on your phone." I scoffed as Luke made a quick escape before I could curse him out of the room. I stared at my mom, silently pleading for a reprieve.

"Did you guys like the wedding?" She pressed her lips together, obviously pleased with herself.

"The _what?!" _I growled.

"I said, did you guys like the bedding?" Her eyes were way too wide and innocent, "I changed it while you were gone, Clary." Like hell, I'd had that bedding since I graduated high school, and I would _definitely _notice if she 'changed the bedding'.

"Ha-ha." I deadpanned, "Very funny. I think we should go get dressed, Jace." "

Yeah," I didn't like the look on his face either, "Of course you need some _prenup_ time."

"Ugh," I groaned, muttering to myself, "You insufferable little _beasts_. And, just so you know," I turned my accusing glare on Jace, giving him a dry smile, "There will be _no prenup_ time."

"Oooooh." Jon sang under his breath.

"Of course not." Jace got up, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and ruffling my hair.

"You're worse than them." I rose from my chair, shoving him off of me.

"What you see is what you get." He shrugged, "Love me or leave me."

"I think I'll leave you." I stuck my tongue out at him, then realized that I was talking to Jace, and that was a _bad _move. Well crap, I'll pay for that. The corner of Jace's lip twitched up into a dangerous smile.

"Really?" He took a step toward me, and I took a step back, "Well I don't think I'm ready to let you go." He lunged for me, but I was already running. I sprinted up the stairs, not daring to look back as I heard both Jace's and one of the camera man's footsteps in close pursuit.

For a while, the chase continued, both of us navigating the halls and rooms with ease. Sadly, when I made a sharp turn on hardwood floor, I had forgotten I was wearing very fuzzy, and very slippery, socks. I cane crashing down on the floor, immediately scrambling to my feet, but I had been too slow, and Jace covered the distance between us in a few large strides.

"I think," He grabbed my upper arms, grip firm as I struggled to free myself, "that you need to be taught a lesson." Long story short, I was screwed. I let out a squeal as I was lifted off the ground and thrown over a certain blonde boy's shoulder.

"You buffoon!" I cried, pounding on his back as he carried me toward the living room, "Have you ever heard of chivalry? Do you know how unethical it is to manhandle a lady?!"

"Big words aren't gonna make me let you go, Clare-Bear." I could hear the amusement laced in his tone as he threw me onto the couch.

"This is for your little stunt yesterday." He caught my flailing wrists, pinning them above my head in one swift move.

"What stu- Aaaah!" My words were cut off as his fingers attacked my sides mercilessly. I writhed and squirmed under his hand, but he was _way_ too strong for me.

"Uncle!" I shrieked, "UNCLE."

"Fine." Jace relented, stopping the tickling, but still holding me down. "I need a kiss first." I rolled my eyes before quickly pressing my lips to his.

"Now was that so hard?" He teased, releasing me.

"_Asshole_." I muttered under my breath as I got up, brushing myself off.

"_What_ did you just say?" He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into his chest.

_I guess I'm more stupid than I thought._

—_-_

It had been a long day to say the least. It was safe to say that my family had no idea what the word _subtle_ meant. Finally, we'd gotten back to the hotel, and I'd immediately grabbed my sketchbook and pencils, abandoning jace and walking to the garden.

"…Can't do this anymore." I heard the voice coming from my usual spot, and, being me, I moved closer to eavesdrop. I peeked around a plant, taking in the sight of Kaelie Blue with heavy tears streaking down her face.

"I'm not in love with him." She said, then paused. I noticed that she was talking into a phone (thank you, captain obvious)

"I know," she spoke again, "I know we need the money. But I can't. I'm tired of acting like I'm going after a man for love, when the only person I love is just 50 miles away, waiting for me. I love _you, _Mel. But now I have to act like I want Jace for his money. I have to act like I'm a horrible person, and, by next month, all of America will believe that.

"I'm doing everything in my power to get eliminated. I don't know _why_ I'm still here. I know he's not in love with me. He won't even kiss me, and, from what I've heard, he hasn't kissed… at least one of the other contestants either…Yes, one of the girls here is really nice… No, I can't be her friend… I feel like I could trust her, but I'm scared she would tell Jace. The other one?… As far as I know, she _really is_ a horrible person, and she would only use this against me, but I'm acting like a friend because she's, quote 'Actually like me'… I know… I know… I love you more than you'll ever know… Bye, Mel."

She ended the call, head hung low, harsh sobs escaping her mouth. Even after all she'd done to me, after hearing that, I knew she needed to talk. After all, I knew what it was like to fake a past for the cameras.

"Hey…" I stepped into view, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"What do you want?" She snapped, fixing me with a harsh glare, but I knew her heart wasn't in it. My own heart ached for her at how sad, how broken, she sounded.

"I'm gonna go now." She growled rising to her feet, but I knew what she actually wanted. Silently, I opened my arms, and she eyed me warily before walking over and falling into me, returning the tight hug.

"Shhh." I stroked her hair comfortingly as sobs racked her frail form, and I could literally feel her trembling, breathing sharp and shallow. I rocked her back and forth until she finally calmed down, chest rising and falling at a slower rate.

"Why are you doing this?" She sniffled, rubbing the tears from her face, "I've been nothing but horrible to you."

"You're not really a bitch, are you?" I asked, setting my hands on her shoulders.

"How did you know?" She let out a shaky laugh, not bothering to lie anymore.

"Well," I gave her a soft smile, "I could give you all this crap about how observant I am, and how I analyzed you and have known for a while. Honestly? I was eavesdropping right now." A blush crept to my cheeks, but, to my surprise, Kaelie didn't slap me or even get mad. Instead, she gave me the first genuine smile I had ever seen on her face.

"Thank you." She whispered softly, "I-If I wasn't able to talk to someone, I don't know what I would do."

"C'mon," I took her hand, pulling her to sit down on the grass next to me, "Tell me your story." Kaelie sighed softly.

"It started in high school." She laughed at her own memory, "I met this ass of a player, Meliorn. Yeah, weird name. I know. Basically, things changed, we were forced together on a project and it flipped around. It was honestly like a Wattpad love story. Anyways, he became part of my family, and, right on my 21st birthday, he proposed to me. We got married, fought passed the stage right after the honeymoon phase, and now we're still going strong. High school sweethearts.

"But Meliorn's company had to cut over a thousand employees, and he was one of them. I'm only a fifth grade teacher, so my salary wasn't enough to keep us both alive. We had to sell our house, most of our things, we barely get by, but Mel's got a new job right after I came here. I came here because this thing pays really well, and we really needed the money and gah, I'm a horrible person." I threw an arm around her, and she rested her head on my shoulder.

"You did what you had to so you could keep your head above the water." I comforted her, "Maybe not the best way to do it, but I can honestly say that, from what I've heard now, you're a good person."

"I'm sorry." She said after a moment of silence, "I put you through a bunch of crap, but I did it for a reason. It was a surefire way to get kicked off."

"What do you mean?" I scooted away to face her.

"You don't see it?" She let out a soft laugh, "Really? Cause Jace is head over heels for you. You'd have to be a complete and total idiot not to notice. You act like you've been a couple forever and, I don't know, he just seems to be… him around you. When he's alone with Seelie or me, it's like he turns into this closed of, cocky player. But when he's with you, he's… Well, I _think_ he's the real him. And, just so you know, I'm rooting for you all the way." I looked down, biting my lip.

"Uh… Thanks… I guess." Of course, Fray, choose now to me awkward.

"Hey," Kaelie eyed the utensils beside me, "Is… Is that art stuff?" "Yeah, why?" I took my sketchbook into my hands.

"I _love_ drawing!" Her eyes widened in excitement, "Are those Prismacolor?"

"Yeah!" A manic smile grew across my face, "How did you… Okay, I'm not even gonna question it! What bands do you like?"

"Fall Out Boy," She answered instantly, "Arctic Monkeys, Paramore, Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, The Fray."

"Oh God! I've found my soulmate!" I threw my arms around her, and she snorted, "What's your favorite song…"

**Short and sweet! But I wanted you guys to know Kaelie's story. She deserves a voice! Now Seelie…. She really is like that. :D. Welp, I hope you guys like that. REMEMBER THE ONESHOT COMPETITION! Oh, and another thing. WHAT ARE YOUR GUYS' FAVORITE TV SHOWS? Buh Bye, until next time, my faithfuls!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	23. Oops I Did it Again

**BOOOM I'M BACK BABY. Yes, this is a ****short chapter, no, I didn't abandon you. I just had a _serious_ case of writer's block, plus, a lot has been going on in my life. This is more than a YEAR OLD. Wow. I had my bday just fyi :D! Oh, and I got a bf. Just saying. He's pretty awesome. OKAY BACK FROM MY LIFE. I AM SOOOOOO SORRY! Just for this, y'all get a free Jace POV chapter. Pick one. That will be the next chapter here, and you guys have a week to vote. I love you all, and I'm so happy to be back. I'm sorry this is so short. Still have some writer's block! :(. I swear more will come soon! (Along with the world through Jace's golden eyes). One of the things that's kept me back: One, I've got a published short story in a strictly online magazine. Two, I submitted something to THE NEW YORKER (aka the biggest literary magazine out there, fingers crossed) NOW ONWARD WITH THIS PROBABLY CRUMMY CHAPTER!**

I buried my head in my hands as everyone but Chris, Robert and Maryse bickered at the table.

"I have to make her up."

"But I have to show her my manga collection."

"I have to give her the big brother talk."

"She's _my…_ bachelorette." Let me catch you up. As planned, we'd come to what our friend group had dubbed "The Institute." I'd been introduced to Robert and Maryse while the camera guys followed like hawks. After that, we'd come straight to the dinner table where an entire meal had been prepared for us. The second we sat down, the three younger Lightwoods had started fighting over me. It was hilarious and annoying at the same time.

"Guys!" I shouted, finally through with it, "Isabelle can make me up, Alec can give me the talk, then Max can show me his collection. After that, I'll go with Jace. Deal?"

"Deal." They all agreed in various tones of voice.

"Good," I replied simply, "Now let's go. If I may be excused from the table, that is."

"Of course," Maryse smiled warmly, "Go right ahead."

"Perfect." Isabelle grabbed my arm, dragging me out of my chair and up the stairs.

"Okay." She clapped her hands once we'd gotten in her room. She walked in a circle, scanning me up and down.

Honestly? It was a little creepy, but I was used to this. I'd grown up with the raven-haired girl and her antics. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and it was obvious she'd made a decision. She marched over to her closed, flipping through the clothes until she'd found what she wanted.

"Here you go." She through a beautiful yellow gold spaghetti strapped dress at me, and I smiled.

"I love it!" I exclaimed as I began taking my shirt off. Changing in front of Izzy was no biggy. We'd done it forever.

"Wait a frickin' second." Her mouth dropped open right before I'd started on my jeans. "What. Is. That?" She walked over to me, grabbing the chain that I'd forgotten was around my neck, "Is that a…? Holy crap OMI-" I covered her mouth before she could scream, but I could feel her straining against me.

"Isabelle." I hissed in her ear, "If I let you go right now, do you promise to shut up and not scream." She nodded slowly, her labored breathes calming down. I cautiously removed my hand, bringing it back to my side.

"Jace Wayland!" Iz screamed immediately, "Get your ass in here!" I heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and that was when I realized something. I had no shirt on. Undoubtedly, there would be cameras too. With a squeak, I dove into the closet. The _wush_ of a door swinging rang out, and I gulped as people flooded in.

"Clarissa Adele Fray, get out of the closet." She roared, and I pulled as she attempted to jerk the door open.

"Isabelle." I breathed through clenched teeth, "Would you happen to look on your bed for something I _need_?" "

What do you… Oh shit." I could picture her awkwardly scratching her neck. Before anyone else could notice, I grabbed the first top I could find, throwing it on and stepping back into the room. Luckily, the blouse had a high enough neckline to hide the necklace.

"What's going on?" Jace asked, concern written over his features.

"Not much." My voice was about an octave too high, "If you could leave now, that would be great.

"Uh, no." Jace raised an eyebrow, "I'd like to know what just happened." The cameras turned on me, probably zooming in on my face, "Iz just found out about something she probably didn't need to know." I played with the chain on my neck, hoping Jace would get the signal. He did, and his eyes widened before he turned on heel and walked out of the room.

"What's the matter?" Now Chris came in, and I once again tugged on the chain. He had just about the same reaction as Jace.

"Uh, let's follow Jace." He said simply, motioning for the cameras to go along with him.

"I'll explain later." I quickly ran to Alec's room before Iz could ask any questions, barging in and slamming the door behind me.

"I've been expecting you." Alec turned his office chair toward me with a maniacal look on his face.

"Uh huh." I rolled my eyes, "Suuuuure." "So when's the wedding date?" I was taken aback by his question, but quickly realized he was joking.

"Ha ha." I muttered sardonically, "So when's the _big brother talk_."

"Nah." Alec waved his hand flippantly, "I was gonna give that one to Jace. So tell me everything. Talk to Alec."

"Well, one," I smirked, "It's creepy to refer to yourself in third person, and two, here it goes. So, I know you all know about my… crush on Jace. I'm just now noticing how obvious it was. Just a sidenote, Max, I know you're here. Come on out." Said boy crawled up from under the bad, and I laughed for real before continuing on.

"I think he likes Kaelie though. You should see the two at the hotel and the house. It gets pretty disgusting." I wanted to throw the boys off our scent until tonight. Tonight I would tell them everything. I would've felt bad if only my family knew. Alec's nose suddenly crinkled in the bad way.

"I don't like her." He grumbled, "She's… interesting."

"What he means is she's a bi-"

"Language, Max." I scolded before pointedly looking at Alec who'd taught him the word. "You two are still gonna end up together." Max spoke insistently, "It'll just take longer if he chooses Kaelie." I suppressed reassuring the voice because the hopeful look on his face was extremely hard to resist.

"Why don't we all talk about this tonight?" I smiled softly, grabbing the boy's hand and squeezing it, "I say one'o clock." I glanced at Alec, who gave me a quick nod.

"One o'clock." Maxie confirmed, "I'lll tell Iz." He rushed out of the room before I could warn him about the cameras.

"Hey," Alec's voice caused me to turn back toward him. He had his arms open, and I gladly walked into them. His hugs were a close second to Jace's. "It'll all turn out great." He whispered, "I promise." But he didn't know just how great it already was. —

"We can do this." I silently motivated myself, slipping my wedding ring, on its respective finger, then taking it off once again, "You can do this."

"Yes you can." Jace wrapped his arms around my waist, setting his chin on my shoulder, "Now let's go. I told Izzy the plan." I took in a deep breath, nodding before making my way down the stairs and into the grand living room. I chuckled as I saw Max resting his head on Maryse's shoulder, eyes half lidded.

"We're here." I exclaimed in a whisper yell, and the tired faces brightened. Jace and I made ourselves comfortable on the couch, making sure to remain a normal distance.

"So are you two together?" Max blurted, and the rest of us met each other's eyes, containing our laughter.

"Why would we be?" Jace tilted his head convincingly, "She's my spy, and we're best friends, practically brother and sister. So ew."

"Is that why you kissed on the top of Dumort?" My eyes widened at Alec's smirk.

"How did you know that?" I frowned, not even denying it.

"I followed you." Alec shrugged as if it was no big deal, "I got the wedding stuff on video, by the way. "_What_ wedding stuff?" Maryse asked, obviously surprised.

"Erm.. Uh… Hehe." I stumbled, and Jace gave me a _really?_ look. _Sorr-_y_, _I mentally spat out the sarcasm. "That's a story for another time." He threw his arm over my shoulders, and I couldn't help but slightly lean into him. Alec waggled his eyebrows, and I stuck my tongue out at him. I glanced at Jace out of the corner of my eye, and he gave a subtle nod. Slowly, casually, I slipped the ring on my finger, carefully keeping my hand out of sight.

As we started trivial conversation, I brought my hand out, twisting it around in a normal way. For a while, nobody noticed until Alec's eyes flicked down, wondering what in the world I was playing with. It was just the right lighting so that the diamond gleamed, and his mouth dropped open. No sound came out of his mouth, so I I quickly folded my hands, once again making the ring invisible.

"Hazza… Whata.. barme… frickin holy _shit_." The slew of noises spilled out of his mouth. "Language," Maryse turned on her son with a sharp glare, "And what in the world are you going on about?" I smirked, daring the boy to say it.

"So when's the wedding date?" He challenged, and I discreetly took the ring off and handed it to Jace.

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently, bringing both of my empty hands into view.

"Jace." Alec immediately caught onto our game, "Why don't you show us what's in your hands?" Once again, we did the discreet pass, and I slipped the ring back on my finger.

"You mean this?" I proudly held up my left hand, and the diamond shined. Everyone's, including Izzy's, mouths dropped.

"Yes. We're getting married!"

**MUAHAHHAhahaHAH. Can't wait to get back to you again, my faithful followers. Question of the chapter!**

**Are you more of a Fall Out Boy/ Panic! At the Disco, or a 1D/ 5sos/ overall pop person?**

**Adios, Mis amigos (hey that rhymes)**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	24. Countdown

**Okay, so, sorry. This isn't QUITE a chapter.  
I'm sure many of you did NOT read the A/N at the beginning of the last chapter  
SO!  
You officially have  
72 HOURS to comment the CHAPTER NUMBER**

**THAT YOU WANT IN JACE'S POV**

**Just review the number of your choice, and the**

**NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE WHATEVER  
JACE POV CHAPTER THAT GETS THE**

**MOST VOTES**

**LET THE GAMES BEGIN**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	25. Chasing Cars Jace POV

**HELLO! Yes, this is the Jace chapter. CHAPTER 18 TO BE EXACT! This was honestly harder to write than I expected, but it was worth it in the end. Enjoy this my faithfuls.**

**LISTEN TO CHASING CARS ON A LOOP**

**JACE POV**

"Where are we going?" I was waiting for that question, and I debated telling her _something_. Maybe a little hint, but the surprise on her face would be worth it.

"Our date isn't over yet." I replied, trying to keep her focused on me and not our surroundings. Of course, she looked out the window right as we passed Taki's. _Damn_.

"Oh." She laughed, and I couldn't help but smile at the realization on her face. She returned the gesture gladly.

A throat cleared, breaking our moment. I frowned for a fraction of a second, but I guess it was a good thing considering I should be looking at the road, not my beautiful… I don't know exactly what to call her… Yet. That just might change tonight (I hope).

"Let's start over." She turned to face Chris, "My name is Clary Fray. I'm this idiot's," She pointed to me, and I suppressed another smile, "best friend. Have been since birth… Sadly."

"Hey!" I shouted, lightly shoving her. Being the mature person Clary is, she stuck her tongue out at me.

"I originally came onto the show as an inside spy for Jace." "And no romantic intentions." She was quick to add the second thing, and I rolled my eyes.

"Mhm Suuuuuure." I dragged out, teasing her just to see her reaction.

"At least I didn't know I had 'romantic interest." She gave in a little, "And don't forget it was the same for you too, buddy." I fell silent instantly, even though I wanted to question the name. _Buddy? Really?_

"I really am gonna have to lie my ass off." Luckily, Chris said it in a joking tone, or we would pretty much be screwed. We stopped in the middle of the dark alley right in line with a sign that read _Hotel Dumort_ in unlit letters. I lead the others through a hole in the wall which was carelessly patched with a layer of thin plastic.

"Uh… I think this is illegal." Chris's words wavered with nerves.

"It's okay." Clare was quick to comfort him, a smirk on her face that rivaled my own, "We've come up here all our lives." We climbed the _many _flights of stares until we reached the hatch that went to the roof Clary opened it, climbing above, but I stayed put, and Chris stopped behind me.

"I just need to talk to Chris quick." I offered the quick explanation.

"Okay…" She narrowed her eyes at me, and I hope she didn't notice me squirm as I shut the hatch quickly.

"What is it?" Chris looked at me with concern on his face, probably because I looked like I was about to crap myself. I couldn't form the words at first. It was almost too much to say, and I didn't know how to phrase it.

"I'mproposingtoClary…" The phrase came out as a jumbled collection of sounds, and Chris gave me a _what the hell?_ look. I took a deep breath, composing myself, "I'm proposing to Clary."

For a second, he just stared, jaw dropped. He finally closed it, then opened it again, then closed it, and so on and so forth. I almost grabbed his shoulders and shook him. I had enough nerves as it was. I didn't need his… reaction to amp them up more.

"Congratulations." Chris finally settled on the one word, and it was enough to make a wide smile spread across my face.

"Can you record it?" I shifted from foot to foot, and he grinned.

"Of course," He replied, much to my pleasure.

I nodded in thanks, again not knowing what to say as I pushed the hatch up once again. Clary sat, feet dangling off the building in front of me. Her red hair was accented by the city lights as she stared into the distance. I'd seen this silhouette so many times, but it never looked as perfect as it did tonight.

I came to sit down next to her, but she stayed silent, still staring off in her own world. In just a second, I took in the chaos down below. The lights looked like candles that lit up the night, showing their brilliant colors off to the world. It was so enchanting and god I sound like a chick but it's true. Even Clary's paintings couldn't do the scene justice, and that was saying a lot.

"How can you guys do that?" I was shaken out of my thoughts by Chris's voice, and I turned to see him looking a stark white, his face drained of color.

"We've been coming up here since we were 10." Yet again, a smirk eerily similar to mine graced her face, "We've gotten used to it."

"Geez, we've done so may things up here. I can't even count." Memories flashed through my mind, good times, bad times, and times when we would lay here and just forget the world. But it was time to put my plan in motion, "Remember that night in ninth grade-"

"Oh god." She interrupted me, pressing her face into her hands, "We don't talk about it. Remember, it never happened." _Oh but it did, Clare Bear_. I laughed, hoping she couldn't here how the sound shook, and threw my arm over her shoulders. I pulled her into me so that her head rested comfortably on my chest.

"Chris deserves to know!" I yelled with fake confidence, "Why don't you tell him? You're better at storytelling than I am"

"Hold up." She pinned me with a flat stare, "You want Chris to know the most embarrassing story of my life, and you want me to tell it?"

"Yup." I grinned, getting up and brushing the dirt off my legs with slightly shaking hands. _Ohshitohshitoshit it's coming soon._

"Ugh," She groaned, "I hate you,"

"No you don't." I gave her a quick peck on the cheek, moving to stand next to Chris before I popped the question then and there, unable to stand the anticipation.

"So. A long time ago… In a galaxy far far away." I glared at her, and she raised her hands, joy beginning to spark in her eyes. A weird feeling churned in my stomach. For the first time, I would hear how this went from her point of view.

"Okay, starting over," She began again, "When we were in ninth grade, one night, we decided to come up here…."

—-

**9 Years Ago**

"Why are girls so complicated?" I steered our conversation to what I'd been dying to talk about, staring up at the stars. I needed to vent. Bad.

"Who did you piss off this time?" Clary plopped down beside me, and I didn't have to take my eyes off the sky to imagine the glare she was obviously giving me.

"Well, last week, I kissed Sophie, you remember that, right?" She nodded in response to my question, "But today I kissed Jessamine, and Sophie totally flipped on me. I mean it's not like we were going out or anything, but Sophie got James to try and beat me up-"

"What the hell?!" She cut me off, just like I'd expected, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? What-"

"Calm down," It was my turn to interject to relieve her worries, "the tables turned on him. I gave him a shiner, but there wasn't any real damage.

"Jace!" She huffed, giving me a light kick, ""One, when you kiss a girl, she might have expectations for after that kiss. Dating for example. And two, fighting with James?! Why did you… Gah what I'm I gonna do with you?"

"Hey!" My tone grew defensive. It wasn't _all_ my fault. I mean, I wasn't the one who went batshit crazy and ordered someone to beat a guy up. All I did was _kiss_ the girl, "James was the one who came after me." She sighed.

"What would you have done if some guy played me like you played Sophia?" Of course, she made a point.

"Umm…" I racked my brain for an answer, vetoing any possible retort. None were enough to beat her logic, "I hate it when you're right." I wrapped my hand around her arm, tugging her to lie down next to me.

"Dating is too complicated." Clary turned to face me, her emerald eyes catching my golden ones. _And too committing. And you were stuck with one girl._ As if reading my mind, she poked me. I pushed her hand away.

"We should get married." Of course, I voiced the thought as soon as it popped into my head, the filter in my head apparently in _off_ mode. But I guess I'd just roll with hit, shrugging, "I mean, I'm a total catch for you, and I guess you're not that bad."

"Shut up." She shoved me, and I grabbed her hand, laughing as I messed with her fingers. Her hands were so small in mine, and I glanced at her face. The city offered a backlight that made her look like she had a halo, and in that moment I really started to wonder…

"Seriously, what would it be like if we got married though?"

She bit her lip, and I couldn't help but think that if she wasn't my best friend, I would definitely go for her. I mean, she would shoot me down for my attitude right away, and she'd be right to, because if I didn't know her, I'd just try and toy with her. I'll admit it. But in that moment, I didn't want any other guy to have her, because none of them would be good enough. No one would ever be good enough for _my_ Clary.

"We would date for a few years-" She began, but I was quick to cut in.

"What?! A few years?" I exclaimed. There was no way I could stay with one girl for that long unless I was tied down. Then again, I didn't like the idea of being tied down anyways, but, for the sake of the game, I'd act like it.

"Yes Jace, moving on," she waved off my interruption, "We would get married… Somewhere nice."

"How about Maui?" I'd always pictured going to the beach since I'd first seen a picture, and if I _was_ to get married that would be my dream place,"We would have it on the beach. Not a lot of people, only the ones really close to us."

"We'd live here in New York." She caught on, "At first, maybe with the Lightwoods in the Institute, but then we'd get a house of our own."

"It'd have to be walking distance from central park, cause you'd always want to paint there." I smiled, closing my eyes, and picturing our small utopia, "And we'd have your gallery right around the corner."

"And it also has to be close to your martial arts studio." I don't think she noticed that she'd laced her fingers in mine as she unconsciously squeezed my hand, "Three years after out wedding, we'll have our first kid."

"A girl." I opened my eyes, staring into Clary's emerald ones, the colors seeming to swirl around her irises, "Her name will be Seraphina… In honor of your dad." She cleared her throat, a soft smile on her face and a blush warming up her cheeks. I could tell from knowing her for years that the simple sentence had meant a lot to her.

"Then our second kid," Once again, she cleared her throat, and I wondered if the dreamy look in her eyes was mirrored in my own, "a boy. His name will be Jensen." I hadn't missed our shift from _would_ to _will_. As if it was actually going to happen. The thought made a strange feeling shoot through me.

"And then our third kid will be another boy," I supplied, "and his name will be…"

"Jared or Misha," I snorted at her immediate answer.

"Are you just gonna name all out kids after Supernatural characters?" I raised my eyebrow. _Fangirls._

"That's exactly right." She pouted, looking more like an angry kitten than anything else, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yes," I answered instantly, "Look, you know I love that show too, but not enough to name our _children_ after people on it." It was true. Supernatural was my favorite show, but, again, I would rather not reach that level of fan.

"Fine," I thought she was going to give in, but of course, she proved me wrong, "How about Ezra?"

"Another TV show!" I yelled, throwing my hands up, but she would have her way in the end, so I might as well make it a little bit better, "I'll give you Misha. How about Dean? At least he's in the show, not a real life person."

"Thank you!" The look on her face was worth it as she suffocated me with a tight hug, which I returned with a laugh, "You're the best husband ever. This is why I love you!"

"I'm not done yet," She rested her head on my chest, and I couldn't help but feel heat where she touched me, "We're gonna have another girl. This one won't be planned, but we'll be so glad it happened. She'll be a Momma's girl, and her name will be Tessa."

"I love it." She whispered, raising onto her toes to press a quick kiss to me, and I gulped, "But don't you have to propose to me first?"

I laughed, trying to dispel the scary feeling that I couldn't have. Not for Clary. She stood up, and I kneeled down on one knee. I shuffled through my pockets, trying to find the cheap arcade ring I'd won earlier today. It was a plastic, red band that was tied into a knot at the top, but it flowed smoothly so that the ring never ended.

"So uh…" What should I say? I mean, it's not every day that you propose to your best friend. I didn't wand to say something too meaningful that it would sound like I _liked_ her. I decided to go with a funny one, "I like you and your pretty I guess and you aren't horrible, so I wouldn't be sad about being stuck with you forever." It had the right effect, seeing as she buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Clary will you just say yes already?" I whined, "This is starting to hurt."

"How do you even know I'm gonna say yes? I might not _want_ to marry you."

"Clary!"

"Fine." She sighed with a dramatic note to her tone, "I guess you aren't too bad either, and even though that was a crap proposal, I'll marry you." I stood, lifting her hand and slipping the ring onto her finger. My smile was so big, and I didn't know why. I guess it was because of how cheesy this all was, but I was comforted by the fact that Clare had the same look on her face. When I blinked, a scene flashed before my eyes.

Us. We were older, and the ring was silver with a diamond as we stood on top of Hotel Dumort. Just us, no one else.

"We should have a song." Clary dragged me out of my daydream, "All couples have a song."

"Uh…" I was confused by the sudden suggestion. This was getting too real, but I wasn't about to stop it. I should, but it was strange that I didn't want to. Then I remembered a song that would work, I pulled my phone, scrolling until I found it. _Chasing Cars_ by _Snow Patrol_

"Ah hah!" I shouted, "I've got it." The guitar started to play softly through the speakers, and I stared at her, not knowing what to do.

"What do we do now?" I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. _You should say stop_, I told myself, the pounding inside me growing stronger. I didn't know if I could handle much more of this.

"We dance." Clary blinked innocently at me, then grabbed my hands. I was a goner the second we started stepping ungracefully from side to side, and I rolled my eyes.

"If you're my new fiancée, then we are not having our first dance be like… This." I guided her arms around my neck as I stepped closer, then let mine fall around her waist. As she rested her head on my collarbone, I hoped she couldn't hear my racing heartbeat.

_Too much space,_ my mind cried, and, before I knew what I was doing, I'd pulled her as close to me as humanly possible. It was official. I was pulling moves on _Clary Fray_.

This was different though, and I have to admit I was scared. I was scared of how she made my heart beat like no tomorrow. I was scared of how much I craved the feel of her body against mine. I was scared of the fact that I wanted her lips on mine. _Now_.

"Jace." Her voice was breathy and I'll be damned if it didn't cause something to flare up inside me. Desire.

"Hmmm?" I hummed, trying to say minimal words since I knew that my words would come out in a tone that I should _never_ use with Clary. One of her hands moved slowly up to the nape of my neck, and I could almost feel my pupils dilating as I gasped softly at the sudden move.

"Are we going to forget tonight ever happened?" Her words set off even more alarms in my head, but I couldn't resist it, resist _her,_ anymore.

"Well, technically it didn't happen yet seeing as this is our future." As I predicted, my voice was low and husky, and, by the way her eyes fired up, she knew what she was doing to me. _Stop it Jace. Now._

"So we'll forget about all of this tomorrow?" She asked, and this was my chance, but when she raised on her toes, I started to lose my resolve.

"Mhm." I found myself humming the word, but disappointment coursed through me when she stopped. Maybe I'd read the signs all wrong. But she wasn't backing down either. For a minute, I just stared at her, and she stared back. What was she going to do? Was she waiting for me?

"Will you just kiss me already?" She used my words from earlier, giving me my answer, "This is starting to hurt." Both of us halted once again, neither of us breathing, neither of us moving, staying in the moment as if to capture it forever._ To hell with what you should do, Wayland._

"Only you, Fray." I smiled, leaning in once again, but then I stopped, common sense slowly starting to leak in.

"Wait," I couldn't believe what I'd almost done, I couldn't take this from her, "Clary, this is your first kiss, you shouldn't waste it on-" She pressed her finger to my lips, and I shut up instantly.

"Jace," She spoke slowly, her voice wavering the tiniest bit, "Remember? This night hasn't even happened. I'll have my first kiss with someone else, but this doesn't count." Like hell it doesn't count. She was lying and we both knew it.

But after tonight we would forget this, we would forget every touch, every gaze, every feeling. We would squash it into the tiniest ball, throwing it to the farthest, darkest place in our hearts. We were best friends. That's how it always was, and always would be. Always should be.

_There you go with the damn _should be _again._

"Clary-" I was about to do the right thing when she cut me off.

"Do you want this?" She enunciated each syllable, "Because if you don't, say it. Don't use this to get out of it."

_You don't know how much I want this._

"What do you think?" My tone was a little _are you stupid_, but how could she not tell? I cupped her face, and she leaned into my touch as my thumb traced her cheekbone.

"I just don't want you to regret this." I looked down. I was the kind of guy I shielded Clary from. One of the people who didn't even deserve to hold her hand, "I don't want you to waste your first kiss on a player like me… On a person like me."

"Jace." She whispered, and I looked back up at her, "There's no one else I would rather be here with, so just shut up and kiss me."

I smiled at her once again, the gesture so big that it hurt my cheeks. She returned it, and we stared at each other, not even able to fathom the feelings inside of us. Her eyes fluttered shut, and I couldn't express how beautiful she looked in that moment. Like an angel. Like _my _angel.

_You don't know what you do to me Clarissa Adele Fray._

I leaned in, pressing my lips to hers. At first, she didn't know what to do, but I was patient, guiding her through the motion softly carefully. As if she was a glass, about to break at any second. After a minute, she caught on, and this was better than any kiss I'd had with any other girl in my life. This sloppy (at first), unplanned thing could only be described in one word. Perfect.

And we stayed kissing under the stars.

And Chasing Cars played on a loop.

And in that moment, we were the only two people in the world.

But we had to pull away, and we had to climb down the building. I had to give her a kiss that meant goodbye, not to just parting ways, but to everything that happened that night. Goodbye to a future that we would never have.

—-

**Present Day**

Ohshitoshitohshit. As she neared the end of the story, I kneeled down, opening the black, velvet box. I'd already began to play Chasing Cars, but she was still staring off into the city, lost in the memory.

"… But I never took off that ring. I've kept it on a necklace since that night…" She trailed off, returning to the land of the living, her face still to us.

"Jace," She started to turn around, "I'm gonna cry if you keep playing that song." The words faded slowly as she seemingly took in the sight before her. The ring, it was exactly like the one from that night, but made with white gold, a diamond resting in the center of the knot.

"So uh… I like you and your pretty I guess and you aren't horrible, so I wouldn't be sad about being stuck with you forever." I parroted the words from that night that had been drilled in my mind from the second they'd come out of my mouth. Her hands flew to cover her mouth.

"Okay, wait, that's not my real proposal." I backtracked, "What I really want to say is that Clary Fray, you are the absolute most beautiful, kind, and amazing woman I have ever had the pleasure to know. You've been there for all my life. Through the ups and the downs, the twists and the turns, you've been there for me. I don't know what my life would be without you, and I don't even want to imagine it, so Clarissa Adele-"

"Wait." Her voice was shaking as she halted her words, exactly like I was expecting her to, "We… we just started dating two days ago."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, "Clary, we've been dating half our lives. All those dinners we went to together. Just us. All those nights when we would sneak away from the group and cuddle up on my bed and watch movies. All those kisses during truth or dare. All those times when we would hold hands or just be touching because we couldn't stand not to. How we would both get jealous when the other person was dating someone else. Clary, we have been dating for as long as I remember, and we both knew it. On some level we did, but we just didn't want to admit it."

Her eyes sparkled as she processed what I was saying, and I shifted uncomfortably.

"Clary will you just say yes already?" I whined with a smirk, "This is starting to hurt."

"How do you even know I'm gonna say yes? I might not want to marry you." Her voice cracked, the words as unconvincing as they were the night she first said them. I didn't need a _Yes_ as I slipped the ring onto her finger, both of us crying waterfalls. Happy tears, of course.

We both smiled those huge smiles as I got up, pressing my lips to hers. I pulled back long enough for her to get settled against me, and I felt her fast heartbeat on top of my own. Then, we danced.

"What about the show?" Her voice broke the silence, "And the girls."

"I haven't kissed any other girl but you and Seelie by accident because I thought she was you since I realized how I felt." I answered truthfully, "I told them all that it was because I was saving it for my wife. I don't care about the other girls, but I do have a binding contract. I mean, I've broken it several times, but they have no idea. I just couldn't wait anymore." I kissed her gleaming, fire-red hair.

"Jace is my fiancee." Her words made my heart beat faster and damn I sound like a girl, "Jace is my soon to be husband."

"Clary is my fiancee," I repeated, "Clary is my soon to be wife." I caused her to laugh.

And we kissed again under the stars.

And we danced to Chasing Cars.

And in that moment, I felt infinite.

This time, my kisses weren't goodbye. They were more like a _hello_ to our new life.

"You knew!" She suddenly shouted, making me jump. I realized she was staring at Chris, who had a knowing smirk on his face.

"Well, someone had to record that." Chris stated, and Clary pulled away from me, running to Chris and engulfing him in a huge hug, "I'm really, _really_ gonna have to lie my ass off when we get back."

"You are," She said bluntly, but it was the truth, "Thank you. And we'll call the cameras to get footage of us going to dinner."

"Perfect!" Chris's smile grew, "And for the record, we spent all day in the cemetery because you wanted a lot of time with your Mom. Got it?"

"Got it." Clary and I answered at the same time.

"Now let's go to dinner and celebrate the happy couple." Chris threw his hands up happily.

"Wait." I grabbed Clary's arm, remembering something, "You can't wear that ring yet." She frowned a tiny bit for a second, unclasping the chain around her neck and slipping the new ring onto it.

"Let me." I whispered into her ear, grabbing the two ends. She lifted her hair, sucking in a sharp breath as I touched her neck. I clasped the necklace together, smirking.

"I love you." I whispered, "More than you'll ever know."

"I love you most." She replied, her voice that breathy tone that I cherished. Then, she pressed her lips to mine in a kiss that said…

_Hello_

**Gah you people better be happy with me. I've been listening to Chasing Cars for 2 hours as I typed this ;). I hope you all loved it. Goodbye, my faithfuls.**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	26. Notification

**Hello! Yes, it's me. Two posts so close? I know! Weird, right? :D. I wanted to tell you guys that I am going to take a short hiatus from NEW chapters, because the next one I need some time to write, because it ****_must_**** be long, and absolutely perfect.**

**BUT**

**While I'm making you guys wait, I'm gonna be doing chapters in Jace's POV. You'll know when I'm coming back, because the one-shot winners will be announced ****_right_**** before I post it. I ****_will _****however, have a Jace POV of "Free Falling" (aka the one at the cemetery), because I heard a reviewer (Guest) pointed out that he/she wanted to see the Clary's reaction from Jace's eyes.**

**Right after that, I got inspired, so this is more of a chapter for me, not you!:D (Because I would've written it whether I posted or not). I just thought I'd share them with you rather than not posting at all! I'm seriously gonna start writing it right after this is posted.**

**ANOTHER THING**

**I'm so sorry I've been insensitive with my beginning and ending A/N's for those of you who read them. I feel bad. I just have been really short on time lately. I've ****_wanted_**** to say that I'm proud of how many FOB/Panic! choices I got. I am ****_definitely_**** in that category. My goal is to meet both bands before they break up ;). **

**YET ANOTHER ****_REALLY _****IMPORTANT THING THAT I ****_REALLY _****NEED YOU GUYS TO REVIEW ABOUT**

**I MIGHT CHANGE THE SUMMARY FOR THE STORY, BUT I NEED YOUR OPINION!**

**"**America's Bachelor: Jace Wayland, best friend of Clary Fray. Bachelorette: Clary Fray, best friend of (and inside spy for) Jace Wayland. Will sparks fly or will love die?**"**

**Okay, so that was one. Probably not the best, but this is where I need YOUR HELP.**

**This is not for a prize or anything, just out of pure kindness, could you guys help write a summary and leave it in the reviews? It would mean a lot to me. Thank you my faithfuls! :-***

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	27. Wattpad

**Okay. Another AN. I know, but I swear I'm almost done with the next Jace POV. I just have something really important to tell you guys. Well, important to me.**

**I HAVE AN ORIGINAL STORY ON WATTPAD!**

**SEARCH UP pp05105 AND START READING**

_**SMILE**_

**I really hope you guys read this. This story is really important to me. I know I only just started it, like, literally a few hours ago, but I'm really gonna try this one. I need your guy's love and support really bad. I want this to become a little bigger, and it would really mean the world to me.**

**Make sure you click the little star at the bottom if you read it, and review in this fanfic what you think of it. All of you who read it and review what you think will have a dedication in the next Jace POV chapter, and I'll crank out the next ****_actual _****chapter a lot faster. I might even give you guys a random oneshot of Clary and Jace's future.**

**I have one question to make sure those who review have ****_actually_**** read it (for enough to get the oneshot):**

**What is Sarah's disorder?**

**It will mean soooooooooooo much to me if you guys read this. The story will pick up. This is only the first chapter, but yeah. **

**Thank you my faithfuls!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	28. Marry Me

**HEY EVERYONE! I'M BACK FOR A BIT! I'm _so_ sorry I haven't updated, I've just been so focused on Smile. For those of you who read it, yes, I took it down, but I wanted to change the plot, and it's back up again! EEEK I'm so happy about it, so _please_ read it! READ SMILE I BEG OF YOU. I know this chapter is short, but it would be _too_ long if I included what will be in the next chapter. Plus, I wanted to leave you guys off on a sort of cliff hanger. I'm evil, I know! YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME FOR STICKING WITH THIS AND READ, REVIEW, AND RECOMMEND!**

**These characters are not mine, and belong to Cassandra Clare. I wish they were mine though :)**

"Oh god." I paced back and forth in my room, running my fingers through my hair, "Oh god. Should we tell them."

"Well," Jace gave me a bland look, "You already kinda called them here." I stopped, sighing and burying my face in my hands before walking over to Jace. I sat down on his lap, and he wrapped his arms around me comfortingly.

"What are we gonna tell them?" I was still stressed to the max, "Are we just gonna go, _Hey, by the way, we're engaged?!_"

"WHA-" The shout behind me was suddenly cut off, and I whipped around to see six pairs of eyes trained on us, four of which were extremely shocked. Jace and I shared a panicked glance, not knowing what to say. All of us stayed silent as the news sunk in, and I gulped.

"You're _what?"_ Simon's voice was a whisper, seeing as it was three in the morning.

"OMIGOSH!" Magnus whisper screamed, "I've been waiting for this for ten years."

"Holy crap," Maia and Jordan exclaimed at the same time. I couldn't help but laugh at their reactions, and Jace joined in. It was simple after that, we told them the story, Magnus and Maia squealing at certain times. I was so glad that they weren't mad at us, but I was confused when everyone looked at Jordan afterwards.

"Pay up." He smirked, and everyone else grumbled various curses under their breath as they handed over money. I gave them all a _What the hell?_ look, and they all got awkward. Really awkward.

"Wekindofbetonwhenyouwouldgetengaged." Simon blurted out, his words a run on sentence. Jace raised an eyebrow, and I raised both of mine.

"Well okay then." I snorted, choosing not to get mad. To be honest, I would've done the exact same thing, and I know my fiancee would've too. So that was how we told our friends. It was short and sweet, because, before we knew it, it was time to "get up", and everything felt right in the world.

—

I walked downstairs, a slight skip in my step. I was so happy everyone knew now. It was a weight off my chest, because I _hated _keeping secrets for the ones close to me. I was met with two glares, but, at this point, I was used to it, so I didn't care.

"So the rose ceremony is today," Seelie stated, not looking up from her book, "I'm so sorry Clary." She looked at me with mock sympathy, and I rolled my eyes.

"Mhm." Kaelie chimed in, but there was apology in her gaze at what she was doing, "Too bad you'll get your heart broken. I actually started to have _some _sympathy for you poor little thing. I told you at the beginning, you weren't in the running anyways." At that point, I wanted to shut everything down. I was tempted to pull out the diamond ring that I wore around my neck and rub it in their (read: Seelie's) face.

"Hmmm." I hummed, "I wouldn't be so sure." I smirked as I walked over to start breakfast for myself, "He seems to like me a _lot_."

"Oh Sweetheart." I could see Seelie's grin in my mind, "He has to act like it. It's his job. He'll lead you on, then crush your fragile little hopes. It's sad actually, but he and I have so much in common that way. He'll make a great husband for me. Or Kaelie." She added the last two words quickly, so as not to offend her friend.

"Don't talk about him like that." I frowned, my protective side coming out, "He's not that way." He used to be, but in the last year or so, he'd whipped himself into shape. It was a welcome surprise to all of us. Let's ignore the fact that the rest of us had to have an intervention for it to happen.

"I'm sorry to say it, but it's part of the show." Kaelie's voice actually sounded genuine, "He may not be like that in real life, but for now, he has to be." I hated the fact that it was true. He had a standing contract, and, if he didn't want to possibly get sued, he had to follow it, even if that meant hurting someone. I was comforted by the fact that Kaelie's second statement was also right though.

"I guess." I sighed, relenting as I cracked the egg onto the pan, letting it sizzle. While I waited for that, I popped some toast in the toaster, my stomach nearly growling out of hunger. I'd been awake since the _early_ morning, but I couldn't risk getting up and someone hearing me. Needless to say it was torture.

"I smell food!" A deep voice announced as the man walked down the stairs, "Is any of it for me?"

"In your dreams." I snorted, turning back to my cooking.

"But, Baby." Arms wrapped around my waist, and a chin rested on my shoulder, his cheek against mine, "Aren't you supposed to impress me? I mean, the rose ceremony _is_ today."

"Hmmm. No." I refused as I slid the egg onto my plate. The toast finished, and I put it there too. Of course, being me, I had to let the meal drift temptingly under Jace's nose before grabbing a fork and sitting down on the couch in the common room. He followed me, pulling the puppy dog eyes, but I'd become immune to them long ago.

"I'll make you breakfast." Seelie took the chance to suck up to _my fiancee, _trotting into the kitchen without waiting for a response.

"Thank you Seelie for actually being nice to me." He called, but was looking straight at me. On instinct, I flipped him off, and Kaelie couldn't hide the snort that escaped her. Jace placed his hands over his chest, making exaggerated choking noises, "You wound me. Now I'm dying. Slowly." He cried, flopping back onto the couch and falling silent.

"Drama queen." I mumbled under my breath, sharing a quick, smiling glance with the girl beside me. Before I knew it, Seelie was back with a plate filled with sausage, eggs, and toast. Jace sat up, smiling gratefully at her, then he stood, moving over and wedging himself between Kaelie and I, much to Seelie's dismay.

"Hey, Kay." He smiled at the only one of us he hadn't greeted, "What's up?"

"Not much." Kaelie shrugged, "Normal night. Just missing you and waiting for the next time we could see each other." She batted her eyelashes, and I held back a snicker. _More like missing Meliorn._ I thought mischievously, and I shared a second long look with her, but she got my message and blushed. Jace smirked, thinking it was aimed at him, but he didn't know how wrong he was.

"Jace." Seelie called attention back to herself, and we all turned to face her, "Do you… Do you think we could maybe have a little alone time." Her voice was shy, but I could hear the cunning note to it.

"Of course." He gave her a million watt smile, holding a hand out for her as they got up. The green beast of jealousy roared inside me, and I couldn't help that my mouth turned down at the corners. Jace looked into my eyes for a moment, and I knew what he was thinking/telling me.

_Nothing will happen. I love _you_ and only you._

That pulled my mouth up a bit, and relief washed through me. Inside, I knew he would _never_ do anything to hurt me, but it was Seelie I was worried about. Knowing her, she would plant one on him and I would _not_ be happy. I trusted him, but there was no way in hell I would _ever _trust her. Needless to say, in my mind, she was and always would be a brat. They walked out of the room, leaving Kaelie and I alone and several cameras trained on us. She picked at her nails, acting like a wasn't even there.

"Good morning!" The rest of the gang marched down the stairs in a line, and I smiled at them. Kaelie and I both waved, too lazy to speak. Simon plopped down next to me, ruffling my hair. I stuck my tongue out at him as I fixed my waves, running my fingers through them and wincing when they caught on tangles.

"Are you ready for the rose ceremony?" Mags asked us, and I gave him a bland look, causing him to wink at me.

"Hell. No." I replied on instinct.

—

"Hello girls," Chris greeted as we each gave him a hug, me squeezing him a bit harder. Filed into a line. I don't know how I didn't trip with my towering heels, but I was extremely grateful for it. I didn't want to look like a _complete_ idiot on camera, "As you can see, one of you will be going home. I wish you all luck, whether your journey continues with Jace or it takes you home. Jace?"

The bachelor stepped out, taking a deep breath. I could see his hands slightly shaking, and I made eye contact with him, silently letting him know that everything would be okay.

"I hope you know that I have had an amazing time with you all, and that I am truly sorry to send one of you away." He sighed, then the waiting began. He looked between the three of us for the dramatic wait, and I could almost hear the music that would be playing when it aired on television.

Jace was right. I watched this show too much.

"Clary." He looked me straight in the eyes, and his own seemed to glow with happiness, "Will you come with me?"

Wait what?

"Of course." I smiled, extremely confused. What the hell was going on? This wasn't supposed to happen. My heart beat faster as I remembered one of the seasons that this did. It was to tell the girl that she was going in private so as not to embarrass her in front of the others. But he wouldn't do that. He laced his fingers in mine as we walked back into the garden, the cameras following closely behind us.

To reassure myself, I felt for the rings that were around my neck, but was surprised to find only. I glanced down to see only the red, plastic one on the chain, and now I was even more scared. Jace must've taken it off while I was sleeping. We walked to the gazebo, but I was immersed in my thoughts, so I didn't notice the glowing lights and rose petals until we were under the roof.

"Clary." Jace stood across from me, brushing a stray hair away from my face. He sighed deeply, as if preparing himself to say something, but I knew it wasn't bad given the happiness that was reflected in his golden eyes. My breath caught in my throat as he grew closer, then he dropped down on one knee, "I couldn't wait any longer. You have become my life, my light, my everything, and I just… I had to do this. I know you love just the simple, quiet things, so I didn't want to have some big whole thing. All I want is for you to say yes." He pulled out a velvet black box from his pocket, opening it to reveal my ring.

For a second, I stood there, shocked, not having expected this at all.

"Yes." My voice was breathy, but it grew stronger when I said the word the second time, "Yes." He rose to his feet, and I jumped into his arms, wrapping my own tightly around his neck. He lifted me off of my feet, swinging me in a circle before gently setting me down.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." I replied before he pressed his lips to mine. He dipped me back, just like he would at a wedding, and I smiled into the kiss. We ended it after what seemed like eternity, but we only pulled back a fraction.

"So what are you gonna do about the big thing the show planned?" I asked and a cunning smile spread across his face.

"So, you know how you figured out the couples?" I nodded at his words, "And you know how Simon's been a sissy about proposing? Well I talked to him earlier today and…"

"Holy crap," He didn't have to finish the sentence, "You're a genius."

"I know." He smirked, and I rolled my eyes.

—

"Remind me why I'm not in there with the rest of them." Isabelle looked at me for an answer as we both exited the limo, looking at the chapel in front of us. I stumbled for an answer, then remembered our excuse.

"You're "giving me away"." I laughed, acting like my excitement was for me rather than them. This was were I would've gotten proposed to if the gazebo thing hadn't happened, and I was glad to give this to my best friends. They deserved it after being together since high school, "It's supposed to be like a mock wedding."

I linked my arm in hers as we began walking to the church. Then, we opened the doors.

**8-O WHAT IS THIS YOU SAY? THEY AREN'T HAVING THE BIG PROPOSAL AFTER ALL, BUT SI AND IZZY ARE. OHMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH. This little plot twist thing that I came up with recently was what caused me to write this. I also had a serious case of writer's block and almost gave up on the story, but hallelujah I didn't. How did you guys like it? I hope you did! The oneshot winners will be announced next chapter! AGAIN, PLEASE READ SMILE PLEASE READ IT PLEASE!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	29. Thinking Out Loud

**Well hello there! I know, I know. I'm a horrible person, but I think you'll kinda love me after what I say next. I honestly almost put this thing to the back of my mind forever, but I decided that, in honor of _SHADOWHUNTERS _COMING OUT ON TV, I would keep on with this thing. It's only right that, since I started it, I have to finish it :P. To be honest, reading this again was a little scary. I mean, this is year and a half ago me writing. Judging by this you probably would _not_ be able to tell I'm in an advanced English class, but, then again, I can't be hard on myself because this has only helped me grow. I'm happy to be back for a while!**

**P.S. WHO ELSE HAS SEEN THE FIRST 7 MINUTES OF SHADOWHUNTERS? (It's on YouTube if you haven't)**

_"Remind me why I'm not in there with the rest of them." Isabelle looked at me for an answer as we both exited the limo, looking at the chapel in front of us. I stumbled for an answer, then remembered our excuse._

_"You're "giving me away"." I laughed, acting like my excitement was for me rather than them. This was were I would've gotten proposed to if the gazebo thing hadn't happened, and I was glad to give this to my best friends. They deserved it after being together since high school, "It's supposed to be like a mock wedding."_

_I linked my arm in hers as we began walking to the church. Then, we opened the doors._

Maniacal laughter bubbled up in my throat, almost forcing its way out, but I held it in, trying to be strong. Music began to play from hidden speakers while we walked, and I took in what was around me. It was beautiful. That's all I could say. Rose petals were scattered over the isle, and candles were hanging absolutely everywhere.

"Um, Clare." Izzy's voice caught my attention, but I didn't stop as a smirk began to spread across my face, "I don't want to scare you or anything, but why is Simon up there?" I bit my lip, refusing to speak as we climbed up the stairs, "Clary." Iz hissed, "Clarissa." I led her up to Simon, who took her hand in his own, and her eyes flicked over everyone who was there. I moved to stand by Jace on the side while she stared at me with a _What the hell?_ expression on her face.

"Isabelle Lightwood." Simon's shaky voice caught her attention, and I almost squealed as I watched what was happening in front of me, "I…" He trailed off as he shuffled through his pockets, "…swear I have something to say…" Realization was slowly spreading across Izzy's features, and panic was spreading across Simon's. All of a sudden, Jace was holding up a folded up slip of paper, and Simon's mouth dropped.

That was obviously the speech that Simon had spent hours on, trying to find the absolute perfect words to fit. Now, he had to watch as Jace ripped it up, slowly and deliberately, into little tiny pieces. My fiancee crossed his arms, shooing Simon off nonchalantly. Being as close to him as I was, I could see what was going on in his head. Something like this shouldn't be so planned out, so rehearsed. It should be from the heart. To be honest, Jace had been saying that from the start, so we should've expected something like this to happen, but it was even better as a surprise.

"Isabelle." Simon repeated his girlfriend's name as he turned back to her. Her eyes were trained on the ground, and she looked up at him through her lashes. It was obvious that it was all Simon needed, because he took a deep breath, "The first time I saw you, everyone basically said you would stomp on my heart with those high heel boots. If that wasn't supposed to scare me off, then the soup you made for me after that should've, but it didn't. For some reason, I ignored them. I ignored them, and I am so glad that I did. I'm so glad I did everything, even professing my feelings for you at the top of my lungs… while I was drunk… in front of your dad…" Simon stopped for a second, scratching the back of his neck, "Okay, maybe I'm not glad I did it _that way_, but, without that, we wouldn't be here.

"I wouldn't be this man, standing here today if it wasn't for you, Isabelle Lightwood." He got down on one knee, pulling out a black velvet box and opening it to reveal a shining diamond, "I know it sounds cliche, but you are the love of my life." He squeezed her hand, "So-"

"Yes." She interrupted, and I could see the tears pouring out of her eyes, "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes." And with that, she hauled him up to his feet, crashing her lips to his. And then they kissed. And kissed. And kissed. Then, we all started getting awkward when it started to escalate.

"Ahem." Jordan finally cleared his throat, "PG guys. Please, we beg of you." They finally broke apart, just staring into each other's eyes, and I have to admit that it was one of the most adorable things I'd seen in my life.

"It took you long enough." Iz laughed through her crying, "It's not like I dropped enough hints or anything." Simon chuckled, pressing his lips to hers one more time in a quick kiss, and I resisted the urge to squeal. Jace suddenly twined his fingers with mine, squeezing my hand.

"I don't mean to interrupt or anything." He interjected, "But we have a live TV thing to go to." I gasped, having completely forgotten about the appearance we had to make for the finale, "Congratulations!" Now I really did make high pitched noises, running and hugging the newly engaged couple.

"We're so happy for you guys." Maia gushed as we all huddled in a group hug, "This was totally awesome." The rest of us nodded in agreement, then we pulled apart and Jace dragged me away to the limo that was waiting for us. We slid inside, and the chauffeur began to drive immediately. I took in a deep breath, cuddling into Jace as he put his arm around me. I was _not_ ready for this. I would be on seriously LIVE television. There were no outtakes, so any stupid mess up I made would be aired no matter what. It was honestly a little scary.

"You'll be fine." As if reading my mind, Jace held me tighter, and I gave him a grateful smile. He pecked me on the lips, and a blush formed on my cheeks. I didn't know if I'd ever stop being surprised or delighted by these little romantic gestures. It always made my heart beat faster in my chest, and the feeling sent a rush from the top of head to the tips of my toes, "I love you, you know that, right?" I nodded as I buried my face into his side, and he let out a soft laugh.

"I love you more." I whispered into the material of his suit, "I'll never stop, Jace Wayland. I always have, and I always will." His lips pressed to the top of my head, still sending tingles through my entire body. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, because there were no words that needed to be spoked. Our love was already wrapped around us, and you could almost see it in the air. You could almost feel it on your fingertips. The click of the door opening drew my attention, and my eyes fluttered open to reveal a smiling Chris.

"I hate to break your moment." His smile grew, "But it's time for you to go." I swallowed hard as a little bubble of panic rose in me, but, when I met Jace's golden gaze, all of it disappeared. I stepped out after him, and I would've fallen because of those damn heels if Jace hadn't caught me in his arms. I beamed up at him as his arm stayed wrapped around my waist, and we walked to the building, Chris beside us. I reminded myself to take deep breaths. In and out. In and out. Finally, after gaining a little courage, I let Jace lead me inside. When cheers erupted all around us at our entrance, I relaxed, having the comfort that everyone here was here for _us_. We sat down on the couch, and Chris face the crowd.

"How about a cheer for our favorite couple!" The clapping only grew louder, and I cuddled into Jace's side. After a minute of talking to everyone, Chris took his place across from us, "So how does America's favorite couple feel right now?"

"Giddy." My mouth moved without my consent, "Absolutely giddy. I can't describe it any other way. I'm in love, and that's all I can say." A collective _Awww_ arose around us, and I looked down, biting my lip and blushing.

"Anything to add to that, Jace?" Chris asked, and I met Jace's eyes. Everything was silent as we awaited his answer, and anticipation rose up in me.

"I don't know how to describe what I feel for this woman." It suddenly seemed like we were the only ones in the world, and he was talking directly to me, "She is the one and only person for me, and I don't know why it took me this long to figure it out." Normally, I would've beed concerned about his slight slip up, but I was too focused on his words to let anything else affect me, "She is the feisty, sarcastic, caring, Red Bull loving, Clarissa Adele Fray, and that is all I could ever ask for." He brought a hand to my face, stroking my cheek bone with his thumb, "I love you, Clare Bear. With all my heart and soul." I didn't know I was crying until I tasted one of the salty droplets, and his expression mirrored my own.

"I love you more," I whispered, "I love you with everything I have, with everything I am." That was when he leaned down, pressing his lips to my own in a soft, pure kiss. We wouldn't have been brought back to reality had it not been for Chris clearing his throat. Our heads snapped to him, and my cheeks turned just about as red as my hair, "Sorry, I guess we got a little caught up."

"I don't think anyone minds," Chris shook his head with a good natured grin on his face. To my surprise, the crowd roared at our show of affection, and I buried my face in my hands. When the everyone grew silent again, he started to speak, "I can honestly say that it has been a privilege to go on this journey with you. I think you are one of the most sincere couples that this show has seen, and I'm saying this from the bottom of my very own heart. Now, I think everyone might want to see a little montage, then, we have a very special video to show you two."

True to his words, _Thinking Out Loud_ by Ed Sheeran began to play from the speakers as small clips flashed across the screen. There was the moment on the beach, us dancing, our first kiss on camera, everything. My heart clenched as everything played out, and memories flowed through my head, both from the show and before. I don't know why it took me so long to acknowledge how I felt about this man, but this seemed perfect. To America, it might look like a short, quick fairytale. To us, it was something long and overdue. I would never be able to see my life without this experience though. Sure, I could do without the two dozen other girls, but this would always be perfect to me.

"Now." I was snapped out of my reverie by Chris's voice, "We have a little surprise for the two of you. Should we show them?" He turned to everyone in the audience, and they seemed to cheer at the top of their lungs. My head tilted to the side, and I shared a confused glance with Jace, "Why don't we roll the clip?" He pointed at the screen, and, suddenly the faces of everyone in our group came to life.

"Hello." Magnus smiled, his cat eyes sparkling, "This is to the producers of The Bachelor, and, maybe one day, to America."

"We have a little story to tell you…" Iz picked up the slack…

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

**Okay. You can all come at me with torches and pitchforks now. I understand ;D. I swear I'll update just exactly _what_ this special story is very soon. I'm so sorry. This chapter is not the best written I've ever done, and it's taken sooooo long, but I've just been super laser focused on Smile, and GUESS WHAT! I FINISHED IT. As in actually finished an entire book. True, I'm heavily editing, but I actually finished a FULL FIRST DRAFT. I'm sorry. Just super excited about this. Now, I have a little surprise that I promised for _you readers._**

**_THE ONESHOT WINNERS!_**

**The awesome 3rd place goes tooooooo….**

**Break Free - Justanotherteenreader!**

**The awesomer 2nd place goes tooooooo…..**

**Untitled - Blue-glass-boat!**

**The awesomeEST 1st place goes tooooooo….**

**Untitled - wood painted flesh!**

**Okay, so I was just reading these to make sure, and I was making noises. As in actual noises because they were so good. I honestly think the most unique one was Break Free, and you guys will probably share my opinion when I post it. So congratulations to all of you! Message me to get your prizes! With love to my faithful followers…**

**-Shadowhunter5801 **

**PS Why don't you try guessing what the story is? PM me or post it in the reviews ;)**


	30. Story of My Life

**I'M BACK AGAIN! Okay, so I wrote this right after I posted the last chapter, and I know it's ****_really_**** short, but the next chapter ****_has _****to be on it's own, because it is something ****_really special._**** I just wanted you guys to have this one ASAP though, because I probably should've just included it in the last chapter, but I wanted to leave a ****_slightly_**** obvious (Okay, ****_super _****obvious) cliffhanger. Just to keep you guys waiting (I know, I'm so sweet, huh?). Okay... ONWARD WITH THE STORY!**

"So, yes." Iz continued, "This is along with the modeling pictures and stuff for both Jace Waylad and Clary Fray, but please don't throw this to the side. Just watch. I don't think you'll regret it." They all connected gazes, "Alec, why don't you start?"

"Okay." Alec clapped his hands together, "We have a proposal - no pun intended. Okay. Yeah. Pun intended." The audience let out a little laugh, but I was too enraptured in the clip to really hear it, "Why don't you make this season a little different? A new kind of love story, one that's already being made."

"So Clary and Jace aren't just random strangers," A picture flashed on the screen with Jordan's voice, "They're best friends. They have been since diaper days." The picture was of Jace and I asleep on the couch at my house. He had his arm around me, and I was snuggled into his side. I didn't even remember the night, didn't remember ever falling asleep that way, but I guess we did, "At least that's what they think."

"It's no secret," Simon chuckled, "That Jace is a total player. He can be a complete and total asshole, and, yes, he's even gotten in fights, but he's not like that with her. Ever. He's always been her night in shining armor, the shoulder she cries on. He's the one that she goes to at three in the morning when a boy breaks her heart. He's the one that she went to when her dad was dying of cancer. He's the one that's her rock. He's the one that gets to her when the rest of us can't." Another picture flashed across the screen. In this one, our backs were to the camera as we face the sunset at a beach. This memory was clear in my head.

—

_"__You're welcome." Jace teased, "For getting your lazy ass out of bed to come here." I frowned, shoving his shoulder softly, "What? It's true! You're having a good time, aren't you?" It was true. The rest of the group had been scared to wake me up. It was pretty obvious that I was a monster when you got between me and my sleep. But Jace hadn't been afraid, no. He'd literally ripped the covers away from my body, then he'd thrown me over his shoulder and set me down on the cold, hard ground._

_"__No." I grumbled, "I'm not having fun at all." It was a total lie, and everyone knew it seeing as they all broke out into laughter, "I hate you all."_

_"__Oh c'mon." Simon nudged me with his elbow, "You loved it, and you know it." I begrudgingly nodded, but I couldn't fight the smile that spread across my lips. I peeled off my top, then shimmied out of my shorts, grabbing Jace's hand and running to the water._

_"__Let's go, slowpokes!" I shouted, turning my back to Jace, which was a big mistake. Before I even saw the rest of them step into the shallow part of the sand, I was thrown into the waves, "You son of a…" I growled when my head popped back above the surface. Jace's eyes widened, but not before I'd tackled him. He went down with me, and the rest of the group quickly joined in on the fun._

_After about an hour, the sky's hues had begun to fill with reds and oranges and purples. All of us got out of the water, sitting on the sand to watch the setting sun. Jace, who was beside me, threw an arm over my shoulders, pulling me into his side, "Isn't it beautiful?" He asked, and I nodded, turning to look him in the eyes, "Just like you." I could hear the teasing note to his tone, but I couldn't help but blush._

_—_

"It always seems like they can't get enough of each other," Mags teased as if he was just talking to us, "Sure, they fight, but it's usually over stupid things, like who gets the slice of pizza with the most pepperoni or what movie we watch. I mean, they really get into it, but it's always good natured." A soft smile spread across my face, "In other words, they're already dating, but they don't know it."

"They're just too flat out stupid to see it." I snorted at Alec's blunt statement, "We've always tried hinting it to them, but they don't ever notice. It's like they're so caught up in their own little bubble sometimes that they don't see what's around them. It's adorable, but it's annoying when they can't see that they're head over heels for each other."

"And if you don't believe it right now," A smirk adorned Izzy's lips, "I think you will after you see this. Let me give you a quick background. Those two always seemed to slip off to somewhere, but we never knew where they went. It was always just their place, and we respected it until one day, Clary's brother Jonathan decided that he wanted to find out. So he followed them, luckily having his phone on him to record, and this happened."

My mouth dropped at what I saw next. It was the entire proposal that had happened in high school, all on video. Jace's arm tightened around me, and my eyes flicked up to see that his own mouth was wide open.

"So we beg of you." Si spoke when the video ended, "Help these two see. And if it's not true, if they're not really in love, then you get your regular season along with a little side entertainment. But please, please give them a chance." All of them smiled into the camera, waving a little, then Simon leaned forward, and the screen went black.

My wide yes went from Jace to Chris to the audience to Jace. I was totally and utterly shocked, "What…" The completely intelligent word escaped my mouth as the audience screamed, "How… When…" Everyone laughed, and Chris's shoulders shook with his chuckles.

"Surprise." He leaned over to pat us on the shoulders. Both of us were still speechless until Chris asked his next question, "_Now_ how do you feel?" That was when my dam broke, and I burst into sobs of joy.

"Those stupid sons of bitches." Jace's voice was shaky with his own tears, "Those stupid, brilliant sons of bitches." He pecked the top of my head as I snuggled into him, wiping off my eyes and thanking the gods that waterproof mascara existed.

"So you knew the whole freaking time?" I phrased the question both to the crowd and cameras, and everyone cheered and whistled, "Oh my God this could've been so much easier."

"Would you take any of it back?" Chris asked sincerely, and I my green eyes met with Jace's golden ones. Unanimously, we replied,

"Not a single moment."

**Soooooo... There was the _extremely _predictable story! I think you'll all like the next chapter a _lot _more. But I hope this one was pretty good. I mean, you don't _really_ think that this all could've happened _coincidentally._ Nuh uh. _Everyone_ had to be involved. This was a big production. Well, until next time my faithfuls!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	31. At Last Pt 1

**So I have a little sad/happy news… This is the first part of the last chapter. I think you guys will like what it is though. I'm getting a little sad writing this, because, I mean, it's gonna be over soon. I might include an epilogue, and you guys have to stick around to read the winners, because they are ADORABLE. So it's not quite the end yet. You're still stuck with me for a little longer ;). I really can't believe this is almost over, and I want to thank you guys so much for this. I LOVE YOU ALL. This chapter is dedicated to all the winners of the contest! I ALSO HAVE NOTES AT THE BOTTOM TO SOME OF THE REVIEWERS, SO PLEASE CHECK AND SEE IF YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!**

**Please Read, Review, and Recommend!**

"…And the place settings are there, right? And is Jace getting ready? Oh my God please tell me Jace is getting ready! I mean, if he's not, then we're dead. He's the groom for crap's sake. And Simon! Oh crap, Simon! Where is he? Everything has to be perfect, or else-"

"Isabelle!" I yelled, cutting the girl off, "It's _my wedding_." I walked over to said girl, placing my hands on her shoulders, "_I'm_ supposed to be bridezilla, not you. Calm yourself." She stopped her frantic pacing, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, and I couldn't help but laugh. She was more worried than I was, which was completely and totally obvious. The girl had nearly pulled her hair out when we couldn't find my mascara immediately. She told me that she had to make it perfect for me, that it was her duty as my Maid of Honor, and I had to admit that she was doing a damn good job at it. Not a single thing was going awry… yet.

"Darlings!" I jumped, startled, as the door burst open and Magnus waltzed in, "It's time to start the bride's glamifying!" The cheshire cat smile that spread across his face both excited and unnerved me at the same time.

"Glamifying?" I finally realized just what the man had said, "Is that even a word." He frowned as if he hadn't expected me to catch it, but it quickly gave way to another grin.

"It is now!" He laughed maniacally, "Now let's get to work. Isabelle, if you could give us some time? I want you to be surprised too." For some foreign reason, the girl trusted the man that had my beauty in his _very_ glittery hands. She offered a wiggle of her fingers - which I returned weakly - then walked out, "Let's get started. For the hair-"

"Wait." I held up a hand, and he stopped talking, "Mags, you know I love you, but I have one condition." He raised an eyebrow as I paused, then gestured for me to go on, "Absolutely no sparkles." His mouth dropped open, offense clear on his features, almost as if I'd committed blasphemy.

"How could you…?" He buried his face in his hands, crying out dramatically.

"Wait," I wasn't quite done torturing him yet, "My hair also has to be easy to take down, because there is _absolutely_ no doubt that Jace will want to. I mean, he's said it enough times. Sometimes, I put it up just to have him do that." I flashed my teeth even though Magnus wasn't looking, but suddenly, his head snapped up.

"Now _that_," He smirked, "I can work with. Oh this will be beautiful. First we have to…" And that started the chain of pulling and pushing and plucking and straightening and curling and a whole bunch of other stuff. Makeup was piled on my face first, and I could honestly say that I didn't like the feeling. It wasn't right, but it was my wedding, and Magnus was so very excited to be my stylist, so I allowed it. About halfway through the curling of my hair, Simon's head poked through the doorway.

"Hey, can I come in?" He asked softly as if he was really interrupting something.

"Of course." I started to turn to face him, but Magnus yanked my head back into place, mumbling for the umpteenth time about how I was going to get myself burned. The groomsman walked around the chair, stopping in front of me to examine Magnus's work so far.

"Wow, Mags." He breathed, admiration evident on his face as he looked at the other man, "You're doing pretty amazing."

"Would you expect anything less?" I could imagine Magnus's eyes narrowing playfully, and Simon laughed.

"Of course not." Si then turned his eyes on me, and they widened just a fraction, "Wow, Clare." His smile only grew, "You look amazing. Jace is gonna have a freaking heart attack. This'll be great." His laugh turned sadistic. Rolling my eyes at his immaturity, I wondered if he was still a twelve year old. He patted me on the cheek, and I swatted his hand away, which was a bad decision. The movement caused my head to go the _tiniest_ bit to the side, but that was enough for the hot iron to burn my ear. I hissed in pain, clenching my fists.  
"I told you." Mags muttered under his breath, and I glared at the covered mirror in front of me. No, I wasn't allowed to see myself until he was completely finished. He said it would be for shock factor, but I felt like it was so I couldn't veto anything he did. Luckily, he followed my wishes, and there were no sparkles… so far. I didn't know if I fully trusted him to control himself or not.

"Well." Simon clapped his hands, "I think it's time for me to go and check on the groom. Everyone else might pop in soon to say-"

"No." Magnus cut Si off with the simple word, "They will not. _You_ aren't even supposed to be in here. Have any of you read the definition of the word _surprise?_ It means that you are not supposed to know beforehand, so, if it pleases you, get out." I snorted at Magnus's slight teasing hostility, and Simon got the message.

"Okay, okay." He raised his hands in surrender, "I'll be out of your way." Magnus nodded in affirmation, and Simon offered a small wave over his shoulder before he was out of my line of sight.

"People," He sighed deeply, "Do not understand how I work." I pursed my lips, shoulders shaking with laughter, and I could mentally see him glaring down at me, "Don't ridicule my logic."

"Touchy." I joked, but he only scoffed in reply.

"You realize I can mess up your appearance with a flourish of my hand, right?"

That shut me up pretty quick.

—

"Oh my God." The sheet was pulled away from the mirror, and I finally saw my reflection staring back at me. There was no way I was this girl. My mouth formed a perfect 'o' as I touched my cheeks to see if this was actually real, actually me, "This is unbelievable."

"And that, my Darling," Magnus performed a well deserved bow, "Is how you glamify." I nodded numbly, still in shock as I went to touch the intricate up-do that was my hair. To my dismay, he smacked my hand away with a frown, "Don't touch." He commanded, and I simply nodded, "And before you ask, all you have to do is pull out these two bobby pins." he touched two spots on the back of my head, "Then, everything will come tumbling down into perfect curls. I'm sure Jace will be able to figure it out."

I got up slowly, trying not to move and mess up anything. Pretty soon, I realized nothing would be ruined if I was careful, so I jumped up, enveloping Mags in as tight of a hug as humanly possible, "You are absolutely amazing. Oh jeez."

"Wait one minute." He offered me a warm smile before he walked out of the room. I watched him walk away, my smile so big that I thought it would crack my face, then, all of a sudden, I heard, "SHE'S GLAMIFIED!" Echoing through the hall. I resisted the urge to bury my face in my hands as clamoring rose up, "EVERYONE COME SEE HER!" There was a pause, then the door flew open.

"Oh my gosh!"

"You look beautiful!"

"You're stunning!"

"Wow!"

All my friends gushed over me, and I blushed at the compliments.

"Thank you." I whispered softly as I looked down at my feet. Finally, I met there eyes to see sincerity in every pair, "Thank Magnus too. He's the master of all this." They all cheered, taking turns hugging him.

"And this." When everyone stepped back, he gestured up and down my body, "Is how you glamify!"

"Hell yeah it is!" Iz yelled, and I laughed.

"Thanks again Mags." I walked over, giving him a kiss on the cheek then wrapping him in a tight hug. "Alright!" I clapped my hands together, addressing the entire group, "Everyone out except Isabelle." They all booed, but I just rolled my eyes. "Go on." I pushed them toward the door, "Out. Go to the car." Finally, they complied, shuffling into the hall before I closed the door behind them.

"Alright." Izzy beamed at me, walked over to the closet, and opened it to reveal the most beautiful dress I had ever laid eyes on, "Are you ready?" A deep breath entered then exited my lungs as she unzipped the back. Silently, I stepped into it, careful not to look in the mirror behind me. She zipped it up once again, then smiled softly, and I saw a tear roll down her cheek. I slowly turned around, closing my eyes until I fully faced the reflective glass. When I opened them, my hands flew up to cover my mouth.

I made a sound somewhere between a screech and a moan, and I couldn't breathe. This woman staring back at me was a full on bride. All she needed was a veil. Before I knew it, water was welling up in my eyes, and I fanned my face to keep the tears from falling.

"Oh God." My voice cracked. Iz crashed into me, hugging me tightly, "I'm getting married." Giggles bubbled out of my throat, soon turning in to gut aching laughs, "I'm getting married." This time, I screamed the words at the top of my lungs, "Hell yeah!" To be honest, I was pretty (read: _extremely_) loud, so I wasn't surprised when she started to shush me.

"Yes, we know." A new voice called from the door, and I whipped around to see my mother standing there. The second she saw me fully, she gasped. Her eyes widened, and she took large strides until she stood right in front of me, "You're getting married." Her voice was a soft whisper, "My baby girl is getting married." I could only nod, "Just wait until your brothers and Luke see you."

"Well!" Isabelle clapped her hands together, causing my and my Mom's heads to snap toward her, "I think it's time for us to go!" I pursed my lips together, extreme excitement making my heart pound. Mom and Iz walked for the door, Mom going out first, but I was rooted in place for a second.

"Are you ready?" Isabelle asked over her shoulder as she got into the doorway. I took a deep breath in and out.

"I'm ready." I started to follow, "I'm ready."

**Okay, so, ARE YOU READY FOR THE WEDDING?! I mean, of course that's next. But will I make Jace pull a Ross and say Kaelie's name in the vows? (Okay, I'm kidding, that would be flat out, downright evil). Oh, and the best part of writing this: bridezilla was an actual, non-corrected word in my computer. As in, I right clicked on ****_define,_**** and it ****_had a freaking definition!_**** I just thought that was a little great. ANYWAYS…Thanks, my faithfuls.**

**3 Shadowhunter5801**

**NOTES TO THE REVIEWERS:**

**Maggie: I know I'm God *flips hair* (Jkjk no, but thank you so much)**

**A BIG FAN OF YOU: I would love to read anything you send me!**

**AND A SPECIAL SHOUTOUT to the awesome WOOD PAINTED FLESH! I hope you're getting better as we read.**


	32. At Last Pt 2

**Okay guys, you have to know that I _almost _cried writing this. Just so you know, it's the last official chapter. Of course, there will be an epilogue and the contest winners, but this is the _true_ chapter. Omigosh I can't believe it's over. I want you guys to know that I love you all, and thank you for being there with me every step of the way. I still... I just... Omigosh I'm seriously keeping tears from falling. Thank you everyone who believed in this fanfiction from the very beginning. You are all absolutely amazing, my faithful followers. Always know that.**

**One year after the end of the show (As was the last chapter)**

I shifted nervously in my limo seat, a glass of champagne in my hand. My eyes flicked from side to side, focusing every so often at the cameras trained on me. And when I say cameras, I mean cameras. As in the national television kind of cameras. Yes, Chris - through begging, pleading, and mind trickery - convinced us to allow our wedding to be broadcasted. Did I like it? Not one bit. I was only doing it as a favor, because we really did owe the show a lot. Without them it might have taken us longer to (or maybe we never would have) realized we were in love. So, in a nutshell, I was mentally flipping.

"Hey." Isabelle drew my attention away from the equipment, "Everything will be okay." Well, I hoped so. That wasn't guaranteed seeing as the rest of my wedding party wasn't with me. They had all insisted on letting me come on my own so they could "Have everything ready for me". In other words, none of them wanted to be on camera, "Clary." I was pulled out of my thoughts once again as she squeezed my hand, "You have to promise me that, no matter what happens, you won't freak out."

"Okay..." I drew out the word, eyeing her in suspicion. The look on her face said that she knew something I didn't, and, if I wasn't mistaken, her eyes seemed a slight bit distraught. My heart beat faster, and it wasn't in the good way, "Isabelle." I leaned in to whisper so that the microphones wouldn't pick up my voice, "Is there something going on."

"No." She shook her head adamantly, and I sighed in relief. Iz wouldn't lie to me. Not when it came to this, "Are you ready?"

"No." The answer came automatically, then I realized what I'd said, "I mean yes. I mean kind of. Shut up." Even the cameramen's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter at my nonsense, and I frowned, "This is my day. Just let me off the hook." Izzy gave me a thumbs-up, but her lips were still pursed as she tried to contain her giggles. Key word: Tried. As a result, mangled sort of hiccuped noises escaped her, and I shoved her shoulder, "Again, shut up." I still couldn't help but smile as the limo began to come to a halt, "Okay." I took a deep breath as I exited the car, "I can do this." With my head held high, I linked my arm in Isabelle's, and we walked toward the looming doors of the church.

It seems simple, right? You walk in the door to see your entire wedding party waiting for you. You glance quickly over their shoulders to get a glimpse of your husband-to-be, but make sure to be fast enough that he doesn't quite see you. Your father comes and gives you a reassuring hug, telling you that everything would go spotless, and that he would castrate your fiancee if he ever tried to hurt you. You feel me? All great and fine until you get there and...

...Absolutely none of that happens.

"What the _fudge_." I hissed softly as the doors opened to reveal absolutely no one ready to go, but I didn't exactly say _fudge_. My entire wedding party was completely missing, but the crowd was still very much there. It's okay. I thought to myself, It's okay. Just look at Jace. I took a deep breath, then stared at the altar where my fiancee...

...Wasn't standing, "Oh dear Lord." I was going to die. I was going to die on national television, and that was set in stone, "Oh my god." Cue the pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth, "This can't actually be happening." They weren't there. This was a bride's absolute worst nightmare, They're late. They're all just late, and Jace is in the back waiting just like me. That was when Chris ran over to us from the side, a wild look in his eyes.

"Please tell me you know where Jace is." My heart literally stopped. The world went in slow motion, and I was sure I was going to faint. My fiancee wasn't here. He'd gotten cold feet or something, but he wasn't here. My mind conjured up the worst image possible: He and Seelie running away together. He would stroke her hair softly as they drove in a cab, looking at her with those golden eyes, and she would lean in and-.

"I said go wait in the church!" I was snapped into reality by Iz, who was staaring at the cameramen and Chris with a glare that could freeze over Hell, "Can't you see that there's a crisis right now?! The bride really does not need this broadcasted on national fudging television!" Much like me, she didn't use the word Fudge, instead replacing it with a word that most definitely would not be aired, "Leave! Now!" They fled, clearly shaken, as was I. I gulped, tremors racking my body as I faced forward to see that someone in a dazzling white dress had come to stand in front of me. A veil was on her head, so I couldn't see her face, but, when she drew it back, I gasped.

"You'll thank me later." Kaelie winked at me, letting the veil fall once again, "Now go! Hurry!" And with that, I was being dragged away. I was too numb to really take in anything as I was led quickly to a back exit from the church, hearing the faint sound of the music I was supposed to walk down the aisle with. Finally, I came to, jerking away from Isabelle.

"What the hell?" I shrieked, and I was about to go on before she leaped forward, covering my mouth and now dragging me by the head out the door, "What the hell...?" My voice was now a whisper as I took in what lay in front of me. The back of Simon's band's (The Mortal Instruments) van was open, and Simon was standing there, hand extended.

"Hurry up!" Iz shoved me forward without my consent, and he dragged me inside, "We don't have a lot of time." Despite the fact that she was in heels, Isabelle jumped gracefully into the van, slamming the doors behind her.

"Hey Clare." I jumped, startled as the driver turned around.

"Luke?" I was beyond confused as he revved the engine, then shot out of the parking lot, "Okay, what's going on?" Everyone just shared smirking glances, not answering my question, "I said what the hell is going on?!"

"Actually, you just said "What's going on"." Simon chose this very moment to make a smart ass comeback, "There was no "The hell" in there." Luke snorted up front, Isabelle bit her lip to try not to laugh, and Simon was perfectly content laughing his smart ass off. I buried my face in my hands, barely keeping myself from screaming.

"I'm being kidnapped," I cried out, "The absolute worst thing happened. It's my wedding, and I'm being kidnapped. The rest of the wedding party is gone, I have no groom, and I'm stuck in the back of a van with the people that are supposed to be walking down the aisle with me." Simon and Izzy held me down before I could start pacing once again, and I would've punched them had they not been holding my arms.

"Stop being dramatic." Simon had the nerve to roll his eyes, "Everything is going as planned."

"As planned?!" I shrieked, my patience gone, "No! The plan was that I would be at the church, with all of you guys and Jace, and we would be-"

"CLARY!" Iz interrupted me, "You promised you wouldn't freak out." I bit my tongue so hard that I drew blood, trying to regain self-control. The silence lasted for about ten whole minutes until we stopped, and I finally was released.

"Thank the Lord!" I yelled as I jumped out of the van, almost breaking a heel and, consequentially, my ankle. I resisted the urge to kiss the ground as the cold November air hit my skin and chills ran down my back. We were in a dark, wet alley, and it was like a murder scene with me as the soon-to-be victim. That was when I looked up and saw that it wasn't just any dark, wet alley. It was our dark, wet alley. The Hotel Dumort sign flickered, some of the letters glittering a florescent blue, and others dead, "No..." I whispered as suspicion began to rise up in me, "It can't be."

"C'mon." Luke took my hand, smiling as we ducked through a loose flap that used to be part of a wall, "Everyone's waiting."

"No..." Was the only word I could whisper as I was taken through the hotel, up the stairs, and to a ladder.

"I would take my heels off if I were you." SImon advised as he began to climb up, pushing the hatch open for the rest of us. I stood, stunned, as everyone went before me. Finally, I was the only one left staring at the stars above, "Clary!" Simon had an uncanny talent of breaking a spell, "Get your ass up here." At a painstakingly slow pace, I ascended the ladder, Luke helping pull me up.

I gasped, shell shocked at the scene around me. Candles were absolutely everywhere, as were rose petals. Two volleyball net poles were balanced precariously, makeshift curtains (Really, they were two red sheets) strung in between them. Everyone was on my side, and I could only assume Jace was on the other, "Oh my god." My hands flew up to cover my mouth as tears pricked my eyes.

_Don't cry_. I thought to myself, _Not yet. Not yet. Not yet_.

My entire wedding party came to give me hugs, and I accepted them gladly, still half in my Oh my god state.

"Are you ready?" Simon whispered as everyone got in their respective places, but that was when I noticed that Simon was by himself. Isabelle and Alec - Maid of Honor and Best Man respectively - were in front of me, and Jordan and Maia were in front of them. How was that possible? I had six people in my party, I was sure of it. Without waiting for a response, Simon walked over to the poles, opening the "curtains" wide. I peeked over Alec's shoulder to see both my fiancee and...

"Is that-"

"Yes." Alec cut me off before I could finish.

"Is he wearing-"

"Yes." He repeated the answer, and my jaw dropped. Magnus Bane stood at the end of the chalk-outlined aisle in an _extremely_ glittery suit and tie, clearly posing as the man who was supposed to "unite us in holy matrimony". The people on the sides were comprised of my mother, Aline, Helen, Maryse, Robert, Max, Jonathan, Sebastian, Will, Jem, and Tessa (the last three being Jace's cousins). Before I knew it, soft music was playing through a portable speaker, and the two couples in front of me walked slowly up to there places. Then, Simon (obviously the DJ of the group) switched the song.

Much to my surprise, Alone Together by Fall Out Boy began blaring, and Simon's eyes grew wide.

"Shit!" He hissed, "Wrong song, I'll-"

"Leave it." I cut him off, a maniacal smile spreading across my face. It was an unconventional, perfect, and crazy song for an unconventional, perfect, and crazy wedding. After taking a deep breath, I began to walk down the aisle - barefoot, may I add - putting one foot in front of the other until I stood across from the man I loved.

"We have gathered here today..." And that was all I heard Magnus say before I got lost in Jace's molten gold irises. Nothing existed but the two of us until I heard the words, "Clary, the vows?"

"Oh!" I laughed nervously, looking at Iz and motioning for her to hand me the paper I had written, but she simply shook her head, "Isabelle, my vows." I hissed, but she stayed where she was.

"Screw preparedness." She finally spoke, much to my dismay, "You're an artist. Say what's in your heart." Surprisingly, I wasn't phased. After everything that had happened in the last few hours, I should be ready for anything.

"Okay... Um..." I dug around in my head for things to say, but in a totally cliche moment, it all came to me, "Jace Wayland, you are amazing, that's the first thing you have to know. You have been through everything with me, the ups and the downs, the goods and the bads. You were - you are - always a shoulder to cry on. You are my other half, and I love everything - okay, almost everything," That warranted a few laughs, "about you. I love your chipped front tooth. I love how gold your eyes are, and how I can just get lost in them. I love your irrational fear of ducks-"

"Bloodthirsty little beasts." I heard Jace and Will mutter at the same time, causing me to chuckle.

"And I just love you. Thank you, Jace Wayland, for being in my life." I hand't noticed the fact that I was crying, much less the fact that he was crying, until now. I was resisting the immense urge to kiss him, and, judging by the look in his eyes, it wasn't a one way street, "Your turn."

"Okay... How do I start this." He closed his eyes for a second before opening them and looking straight into mine, "I love you more. I love your personality, which lives up to your fiery hair. I love your smart ass comments at the best times. I love how, when you get sucked into art, you stick your tongue out the tiniest bit to the right. I love how you're eyes sparkle like emeralds. And I need to tell you thank you. You're always by my side, and you always see passed my facade when I try to be invincible. You're my everything, Clarissa Adele Fray, and I will always love you more than you'll ever know."

A collective _Awww_ rose from everyone watching, then Magnus went on. it was all a blur again, and I faintly heard the words "I do". They were two words that would forever wrap around my heart. They were two words I would remember until the day I died and death did us part. Finally, I was drawn back to reality when Magnus said, "And now, by the power vested in both me and an online certificate, I am proud to proclaim you Husband and Wife. You may now-" He didn't even get Kiss the bride out before Jace had swept me into his arms and proceeded to kiss the daylights out of me.

Of course, I kissed him back. Without protest. Obviously.

"Keep it clean, guys." Of course, my brother had to butt in, but he didn't break the moment. We smiled against each other's lips as we stayed there for the longest time, locked in an eternal embrace, "Guys." Now Sebastian was ruining it, "Guys." Definitely ruining it, "Guys!" My jaw tightened, but Jace simply laughed, pulling me up to a steady position rather than leaning me back, "Can we hug you now?" I had to smile at that, because how could you not?

"Yes." I finally responded with a chuckle, "Yes you can." And that started the rounds of hugs and congratulations. It was a whirlwind of everything, then, suddenly, Jace and I were thrust in the middle of the concrete.

"First dance. First dance." Will started chanting, then everybody began to join in, "First dance. First dance-"

"Okay!" Jace finally yelled over their voices, "Simon, hit it!"

And Jace took me in his arms.

And Chasing Cars played.

And we were the only two people in the world as we let the lyrics wrap around us.

_If I lay here_

_If I just lay here_

_Would you lie with me and_

_Just forget the world_

**The End**

**Okay, so that's it... That's truly the last one. I'll be posting the winners from the contest, then the epilogue after. PLEASE stick around for the contest winners. They are truly amazing. Thank you so much again, and I'll see you all soon. I love you all, my faithfuls!**

**3 Shadowhunter5801**


	33. Break Free (Third Place)

**Okay, so, as promised, this is the third place contest winner! This is not my writing. I repeat, this is not my writing, but it's absolutely awesome. I really never expected to look at Kaelie in this light. It was something that made me consider going with for the story (creating that Kaelie that this oneshot describes). I have to say that Justanotherteenreader did a great job, and you guys will all agree after. THE EPILOGUE WILL BE POSTED _AFTER_ I post these three winners! This was third place, and second will be coming up soon!**

**Break Free**

**By: Justanotherteenreader**

(The Bachelor Chapter 1 Kaelie POV)

"Jace! Jace! Jace!"  
My name is Kailie Blue. You've probably heard of me, my dad being George Blue, the best lawyer in the States and all.  
I am currently in a black limousine surrounded by thousands of fans.  
For me?  
No.  
For The Bachelor, AKA Jace Herondale.  
I was one of the bachelorettes competing for his love and affection. I'd be lying if I say he wasn't hot or that I didn't want him, but that didn't mean I was willing to marry him, or give myself to someone like him for the rest of my life. But of course, does my father really care what I want or not?  
No. He never did. All my life I've been doing whatever he wants, just to see him be proud of me. Pathetic, right? But I couldn't help it. My mother died giving birth to me. I have no one else but him.  
So I hid behind my caked up face, my slutty clothes and my flirty personality. I'd rather be hated and tagged as a w*** or a s*** rather than being pitied and being surrounded by people who think they understand.  
I'm not complaining. I got the boys and no one suspected anything.  
People judge. They don't know the whole story, and yet they think they've figured out everything.  
"You are going Kailie! I don't care. And you better come back with him. If you don't, then forget you ever had a father."  
That's what he had said. I wanted to scream and say I never had one so what does it matter. But I knew that he'd just beat me up for talking back. Again.  
That was another reason I decked myself up with so much make-up. To cover the bruises that'll never leave me. The bruises that'll haunt me for the rest of my life.  
So here I was. Pretending to fight for Jace Herondale. The real reason I was here was to find a job, so that I can finally escape my father's reign.  
I'll try and stay for as long as I can. Someone told me that a few people were coming to watch and pick out a bachelorettes for modelling. It was an opportunity that I couldn't afford to lose. I might not get one again. The b*** didn't even send me to college. I'd gotten a scholarship in Stanford, but of course, he didn't let me go.  
"Kailie Blue, you're up." Someone announced.  
The door was opened for me and I got out.  
I walked up to the Golden Beauty standing in front of the mansion.  
"I'm Jace."  
"Uh huh. I know. It's a pleasure to meet you." I winked suggestively at him. I felt disgusted inside.  
He smirked and leaned in to kiss me only to change direction at the last second and kiss my cheek.  
"Tease." I faked a smile at him.  
He smirked once again and I walked in, not without him dropping another wink at me.  
The size of the mansion didn't astound me. I lived in a bigger one. My dad was an a** but he was still extremely rich. When I saw him with his clients, I saw a completely different man. He was funny and charismatic, a pleasure to be around with. I sometimes found myself wondering if that was the man my mother fell for and how it would be to have a father like him. And how different life would be if my mother was still here. Although, I stopped myself before it became self-pitying sob fest.  
I found my room quickly and sat down to get ready for the coming weeks.  
I wasn't here to make friends (I couldn't even if I tried; I've never trusted anyone because of my terrible excuse of a father).  
I wasn't here to win Jace Herondale's heart. Oh no.  
I was here to break free from the chains I'd wrapped around myself.

**Wasn't that pretty awesome?! I think so. I hope you guys take the time to read these, because they truly are great. OH! I also have to tell you guys that I took Smile down from Wattpad, because I'm actually gonna try and get it published (FIRST DRAFT WAS FINISHED). But I did start another story (BEATS) that I want you guys to look at. If I get at least a hundred LIKES on one of the chapters, I'll give all of you a chapter of your ****choice in Jace's POV! Thank you all, my faithfuls!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**

**PS Also check out Forever by Justanotherteenreader!**


	34. Memories (Second Place)

**Hey guys! So I'm back with the second place winner! This is absolutely amazing and adorable and I squealed reading it.**

**THIS ONE, THE FIRST PLACE, AND THEN THE EPILOGUE IS HERE!**

**Memories**

**By: Blue-Glass-Boat**

I stretched my arms lazily, expecting to hit a hard chest as I did every morning. But my hands hit the soft down of our cover with a thump.  
I pushed herself up and looked around the room. It was tragically mismatched. When Jace and I had moved in together, we argued so much about what to do with it that we'd ended up dividing it in half and left each to our own.  
Jace's side looked like it was still waiting for a tenant to live there and all the objects were there for show. The walls were a crisp white, and not a book was out of place on the shelf. Even his side of the bed was tidily made, only a dent showing where my hand had hit the covers. The polished wooden floors gleamed in the muted morning light.  
On my side, you couldn't see the floor. A dark shaggy rug covered the surface, and a few clothes were scattered here and there where I hadn't put them away last night. The walls were orange, and my desk was filled with paintbrushes and pots of water.  
I got out of bed, flipping the covers down on Jace's side too and smirking. Pulling on some clothes, I wondered where he'd gone. It was unusual for him to leave without waking me to say where he was going, at least. Covering a yawn with one hand, I stumbled out the door. God, why did mornings even exist? Something drifted to my nose; the smell of cooking.  
I smiled. I'd almost forgotten it was my birthday today. Twenty-five, a quarter of a century old. And also the age my mother said it was acceptable to marry.  
She was not happy when she found out that Jace had proposed. "But, Clary," she kept saying. "You're twenty-two years old! And you've been doing him for less than a week!"  
A huge argument had ensued, ending in a compromise; Jace and I would have a long engagement, only getting married when I turned twenty-five. So we scheduled the wedding for the day after my birthday. Tomorrow.  
A slight flutter stirred in my stomach. In a day, Jace would be my husband.  
I ambled into the kitchen, the smell growing stronger. I screwed my nose up in disgust. "Jace, either your cooking has gotten a lot worse, or you're not Jace." Just as I had suspected, my soon-to-be sister in law turned around, a scowl on her pretty face. "What are you doing here, Izzy? And I'm sorry," I laughed, as I tried to look for a way out of the inevitable annoyance. "It's just… uh, no one's cooking could be as good as Jace's."  
"Oh, really?" A voice murmured in my ear, arms twisting around my waist. I spun around in the circle of Jace's arms. "I knew you would have to admit it someday. You've held out for an unnatural length of time."  
"That's not what I meant to say. You distracted me before I finished." I stuck my chin out stubbornly. Jace's smirk appeared in full force.  
"And the end of your sentence was?"  
I wriggled a little bit, knowing that he knew I had no answer. "I was going to say, before I was interrupted, that no one's cooking could be as good as Jace's adoptive mum's."  
He raised an eyebrow. "Of course you were."  
"Mhm." I hummed, trying to distract him. "It's my birthday, so you have to do what I say. And agree with me."  
He didn't say anything, just glanced at Isabelle over my shoulder and nodded. Well, maybe over my head. Whatever. "Secrets, secrets are no fun, unless you share them with everyone." I chanted, repeating the old rhyme we used to tell the other whenever we kept secrets and mock glaring at him. He slid his hand into mine and pulled me into the lounge room.  
Everyone was lounging on our couches, and for every couple, there was a gift. Various calls of. "Happy birthday, Clary," were yelled discordantly and I laughed. "Thank you." I whispered to Jace, knowing whose idea it would have been.  
"You're welcome. I'm sure you can find some way to thank me later." He replied, eyes full of amusement and suggestiveness. I flopped on the carpet next Magnus and Alec's sofa and Jace sank down beside me. "Presents!" I ordered.

My cheeks hurt from smiling, and my stomach hurt from laughing. I was also fairly sure that my lungs needed a break from talking and shouting. The others looked similarly exhausted. Surrounded by my friends and family- and yes, my presents and cake- I felt like I was floating. Jace's shoulder cushioned my head. He nudged me and whispered. "I have a present for you."  
I smiled lazily. It hadn't escaped my notice that Jace hadn't given me a gift, but I figured he just wanted to give it to me when everyone else wasn't breathing down our necks. From under a cushion, he produced a rectangular package, obscured by gold wrapping paper. My eyes widened. How had I not noticed it there?  
I reached out and took it from him carefully. It didn't rattle, and it felt smooth beneath the paper. A low chuckle sounded from her side. "I know you like to try to guess what it is, but you're not going to get this one."  
My curiosity piqued, I slid a finger beneath tape, even though I really just wanted to rip the paper off. The last slid off, and a pale gold photo album lay in my hands. I opened it to the first page.  
The picture showed Jace and I standing close together, me redoing his tie. His expression was one of friendly fondness, his head tilted up and a smile on his face. Next to it was a printout of the text chat we'd had while I was in the car. My eyes skimmed over the words. 'It's not like I'm going to 'vie for the heart' of my best friend.' I grinned and ran a finger over the line, drawing Jace's attention to the line. He snorted, his grip tightening slightly on my shoulder. "I figured we should pay tribute to the show that got us here. All the while looking at photos of you dolled up."  
"It's like this is your present, not mine." I smiled up at him, letting him know how much I loved it.  
He replied to my silent thank you, choosing to ignore what I'd actually said. "Anything for you."  
Laughing at the dance scene, I remembered the feeling of the lines of his body against mine, swirling around the floor. Jace grinned. "We should go dancing more often."  
I flicked through the photos slowly, pausing at our first kiss. Our foreheads rested lightly against each other, and although you couldn't see anything but our profiles, I could read the tension in him. "Why so tense?" I asked, pointing at the photo.  
"I was just starting to figure out my feelings for you. And like Iz said," he mimicked her, "the kiss was hot."  
We looked at a few others, reminiscing. It was so curious to hear what Jace had been thinking at the time. A familiar scene caught my eye. One that I had played over and over again in my head since that day. The proposal. "Chris had a camera?" I practically yelled. It was clearly taken from his angle, Jace on one knee and my hand half-extended towards him. It managed to perfectly capture the nervous yet affectionate look on his face.  
"He only took one picture." Jace promised. "I couldn't let the moment go unrecorded."  
I placed the book on the table and kissed him, my lips melting into his with familiarity. His fingers were in my hair, and my hands were running up down his chest when someone complained from behind us. "We weren't going to interrupt before, but my poor eyes."  
I pulled away from my fiancée and glared at Simon, who missed the death stare because his hand was over his eyes. Isabelle poked him. "It's safe to look."  
I settled back beside Jace, and picked up the album again, mumbling a curse at Simon. I turned to a few empty pages. He caught my questioning glance. "For the wedding and the rest of our future."  
I grinned stupidly, not caring that there were tears in my eyes. "I love you."  
"I love you, too. Happy birthday, Clary."

**ONE MORE CHAPTER BEFORE THE EPILOGUE! And wasn't this AMAZING? Thank you to Blue-Glass-Boat for this awesome oneshot! See y'all next time... Probably this weekend again for the first place winner, then THE EPILOGUE soon after! Love you guys!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	35. Where We'd Rather Be (First Place)

**Okay, so, you guys HAVE TO READ THIS. It is basically a REQUIREMENT, because this is so so awesome. Hat's off to an AMAZING first place winner! I squeal almost every time I read it. So... Here you go! (Next chapter... EPILOGUE)**

**Where We'd Rather Be**

**By: Wood Painted Flesh**

They'd been together for three long years today. Today—when they'd both realized what idiots they'd been, being in love with each other for as long as they had. Their friends still joke and make jabs at the two because of how long it had taken them both to realize it ("You had to go on a freaking Reality TV show to figure it out!").

But it doesn't matter, because they had that kind of love. You know, the "staying up all night to watch you sleep no matter how creepy" kind of love. That "you can have the last slice of pizza" kind of love. That "be with me and everything will be okay" kind of love. The kind of love in which they can still act like complete idiots together. The kind of love that was crazy yet beautiful.

Not much has changed in their relationship then, really. The only major alterations to their relationship are the late night cuddles, the more intimate movie nights, the talks of sweet nothings and "I love you's" under the covers in the dark after a long day.

The only big difference is the lack of cameras following them. They were once offered a whole reality TV show of their own but turned it down. They were done with that life. They wanted to start a new one, together. Obviously, that never stopped fans from stopping them in the street. They would give Jace their numbers on napkins only to be discarded in a trash can down the road. ("She was like, twelve, you know that right? That's illegal" then "Oh shut up.")

So no, not much has changed. In fact, they are still very much like they were before they'd found each other—really found each other. They still have their movie marathons and crack jokes and insult each other. Both are still very childish and competitive. For example, they've created a game for each gift-giving holiday; they would compete to see who could give the best gift of all, but it couldn't be expensive.

Jace hadn't slept last night. He'd been clammy all day and night, and he'd resisted the urge to toss and turn in bed, fearing he'd wake her up. His thoughts are all jumbled and his heart threatens to burst out of his chest.

But the sun is rising, and that means she would be waking soon. So he puts on a calm facade, and slides the little box onto her pillow. He waits (im)patiently for her to wake up. He watches her eyelashes flutter against her cheeks before her eyes open slowly.

"G'morning," she mumbles, voice still thick with sleep. "How long have you been up?"

The corner of his lip kicked up. "A while."

She smiles sleepily. "Watching me? Creep."

Jace squares his jaw to keep his nerves in check. He leans over, presses a light kiss to her forehead and pulls back, watching her expectantly.

His eyes flicker down to the box.

It takes a moment, but her gaze finally focuses on the little black box in front of her. "Jace. What... wait, is that—?"

"Happy Anniversary, Clary." He stares at her, a small, nervous smile playing on his lips.

With slow fingers, she flips the box open. Her throat works, bobbing up and down.

Jace's stomach drops. He clears his throat. "I might have bent the rules a little bit on today's gift. I hope you can understand."

Tears fill her eyes, and she chokes on a watery laughter. Jace leans into her and mumbles those four very important words against her lips, his voice soft and full of hope, and she begins to cry softly and kisses him.

"I am never going be able to top this."

He laughs, joy filling his heart. He slides the ring onto her finger and kisses her again. And then once more, very softly. "You already did. You said yes."

**Doesn't that make you go AWWWWWW! Truly amazing oneshot! I LOVE IT! Head over to Wood Painted Flesh's account and look at You're On Your Own (WPF also says to avoid We All Fall Down because it will probably be deleted soon) Also, look out for And We Waited Too Long (coming soon by WPF). THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE EPILOGUE! That means it will be the _OFFICIAL LAST CHAPTER. _I'm going to cry writing it for sure. XD D: LOVE YOU ALL!**

**-Shadowhunter5801**


	36. EPILOGE HELP

**Okay guys, don't hate me, but this isn't the epilogue. Not yet. I'm hitting a MAJOR writer's block, so I need your guys' help. I want you to**

**SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS FOR AN EPILOGUE**

**I NEED AT LEAST 10 SUBMISSIONS OR MORE (HOPEFULLY) TO WRITE IT (BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO 1K REVIEWS)**

**PLEASE HELP THIS MISSION OR ELSE THERE PROBABLY WON'T BE AN EPILOGUE FOR A ****_WHILE_****!**

**I'LL PICK THE BEST SUBMISSION OF ALL, AND DON'T PM ME FOR THIS ONE**

**LEAVE IT IN THE REVIEWS!**

**(AND YOU GUYS CAN TOTALLY REVIEW ON OLD CHAPTERS IF YOU WANT. THAT WOULD BE A MAJOR HELP)**

**A TOAST TO TRYING TO GET TO 1K**

**-SHADOWHUNTER5801**


	37. One More Time (Epilogue)

**Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe it. After forever, I'm actually posting this epilogue, and I'm seriously about to cry as I write this A/N. It's been a little over two years that I've gone on this journey with you guys, and I honestly can't believe it's almost over. This has been so amazing, and thank all of you for believing in me. My writing has evolved so much since then, and a lot of it is because of you guys. So this is a thank you to all of you for leading me on this wonderful rollercoaster of a story. I couldn't have accomplished this without your love and support, so again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want to send a special shoutout to Alicatherine1315, who is the very first person on my follow list. Thank you for being the first to believe in this, to believe in me.**** think a part of the reason I haven't written this for so long is because I don't want it to be truly over. But as I like to say, it's not an end, just a beginning to the rest of Clary's and Jace's lives.**

**If any of you would like to leave one last heartfelt, long review (which would be much appreciated and forever cherished) this is the time. So, onto the very last chapter of The Bachelor...**

* * *

I was in heaven, because that's the only way I could describe waking up in Jace's arms. I sighed softly, burying my face in his neck, not ready to get up. As of last night, we had been married for ten years. _Ten whole years_ I'd had put up with this man, but I loved every second of it. Every breath, every heartbeat, I was filled with love for him, and I didn't regret it for a moment. Sure, we had gotten together in the absolute most unconventional way possible, but that was the best part of all.

"Good morning, beautiful." His chest rumbled with the words, and I smiled against his skin as he ran his fingers through my hair and kissed the top of my head.

"Good morning, handsome." I replied, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes. Resisting the urge to snuggle back into him again, I pecked his lips, and he grinned. All of a sudden, I heard a loud grumble then laughed, "I'm guessing someone's hungry?" It was phrased as a question, and Jace nodded, showing no shame. He unwrapped an arm, laying on his back and patting his stomach. He opened his mouth to reply, but I spoke before he could, "A man's gotta eat." I mocked in a deep voice, knowing that those words had been about to come out of his mouth.

"Oh Clarissa, you know me so well." He tossed me a wink before letting me go and climbing to his feet. I couldn't help but stare at him as he stretched, because I'll be damned if my husband wasn't ripped, "Checking me out?" My head snapped up, and I saw that his eyebrow was raised. Even though we'd been married for that long, blood still rushed to my cheeks, "That's adorable." Like the mature person I am, I flipped him off, but he simple chuckled.

"Will your cockiness ever wear off?" I mumbled, but I couldn't stop my lips from tipping up at the corners. He flashed his teeth before starting for the door, and I got up, a cold shock from the hardwood floor rushing up my legs. I just ignored it, following behind him even though I was freezing my ass off in just his shirt, "What's for breakfast?" He opened the refrigerator, and I hopped onto the counter.

"Eggs?" He asked, pulling them out before I even answered, but I nodded anyways. He set the food down, then turned toward me, stalking forward until his hands were on either side of my hips, "How long before the kids get home?" A devious grin grew on his face, and it soon spread to mine. I didn't say anything back, just pressed my lips to his in a soft kiss. My legs wrapped around him, and he squeezed my waist, pulling me closer and consequently turning it into a hot make out session.

"What the hell?!" The yell caused both Jace and I to freeze. I couldn't believe this was actually happening, because it was something I'd vowed to avoid. Forever. Fate didn't seem to be on my side, and I felt like I couldn't move. My eyes were wide as I stared into Jace's, both of us too stunned to really do anything at all. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I unwound my legs, and my husband turned to face our children, Magnus, and Alec, who were probably just as mortified as we were.

"Language." I scolded weakly, my voice holding absolutely no conviction, because I couldn't blame Julian for the outburst. If _I_ had walked in on Mom and Luke doing that, I would've said _much _worse. Then again, I _am_ an adult.

"Wow." Magnus seemed to be the only one of us taking this in stride. Too in stride, judging by the look on his face, "You two look like a couple of teenagers after a night of wild-"

"Magnus!" I almost shrieked, giving him the deadliest glare possible, "Do _not_ make this worse than it has to be."

"I was merely making an observation based on your clothing…" He paused for a second before the devious grin grew, "Or lack thereof." I was going to strangle him. I was going to kill him slowly and painfully for making this literally the most awkward morning of my life. I must've communicated that much with my gaze, because his eyes widened a fraction, and he moved slightly behind his husband. In my anger, my mind had been distracted from our position, but when I glanced at Julian's and Emma's faces, I was brought back to reality.

"Oh god." Emma buried her face in her hands, "The images. The _images!"_ Julian put a hand on his sister's back, rubbing comforting circles, "I will never be able to erase this from my memory." She cried, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at my daughter's dramatics. It may have been sick, but her outburst made me feel the tiniest bit better, like all eyes were on her, not on Jace and I.

"Clary…" Alec finally spoke up, and my head snapped his way, "Please say you're wearing something under that." Alec phrased it like it was an actual concern, but I saw the evil glint in his eyes.

"Yes." I snapped, "I am, and your sass is not appreciated. Leave that to Magnus." The raven-haired man snorted, so I flipped him off.

"Mom!" Julian scolded jokingly, "Don't flip people off. It's not nice." Okay, so my children were added to my "To-Kill" list. No big deal. There was a beat of silence as my insides began to boil, both out of total embarrassment and fury, and Jace seemed to sense this, so he grabbed my hips, easing me down from the counter and wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Are you people done now?" I grumbled, obviously the only one whose cheeks were still beet red. Everyone laughed, and I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. Then, I turned my accusing glare on the other couple in the room, "Weren't you supposed to bring them home at, I don't know, ten?" Magnus pressed his lips together, clearly not trusting himself to speak, then turned to Alec, who gestured to the oven clock with his chin. I whipped to face it, only to be met with the sight of green letters reading…

"It's ten-thirty." Magnus finished my thought, "We gave to a half hour in hopes to avoid…" He chuckled, shaking his head, "This." If it was possible, the hue of my cheeks turned darker, and my eyes flicked to Jace to see that he was much the same. My mouth bobbed open and closed as I wracked my brain for some sort of excuse, and both Julian and Emma raised an eyebrow (damn them for being able to do only one). I had absolutely nothing, so I just pressed my face into Jace's side.

"Can we just forget this ever happened?" I muttered, hoping they would agree. Sadly, the universe was laughing at me.

"No." They all chorused in unison, and I growled a number of curses under my breath.

"And Mom…" Julian trailed off, scratching the back of his neck, "Would you mind putting on some pants?" I was so over this, so I just huffed out a sigh as I marched to the master bedroom. I pulled on a pair of shorts, tucking a part of Jace's shirt into the side so they were visible. When I walked back out into the kitchen, Jace was already starting the eggs for everyone, and the others were sitting at the counter, talking away like nothing had ever happened. I quickly joined in the conversation (it was about whether potatoes from Idaho were better than New York potatoes. Don't ask), and everything was fine and dandy until the subject was changed.

"So, Mom and Dad…" Emma started, sharing a look with Julian that could mean nothing but bad news, "We watched an interesting show last night…" It didn't even take a second for both Jace and I to figure out what she was talking about, and we clashed gazes, eyes wide with fear.

"Alec…" I hissed, somehow knowing it was the quiet one who was the cause of this, "Why the hell would you show them that?"

"They just asked how you guys got together." Alec shrugged, a look of mock innocence on his face, "We just thought that there was no better way than to show them." I didn't know what to do at this point. They'd already seen it, so there was no turning back, I just didn't know how _much_.

"How many episodes did you watch?" I pinched the bridge of my nose, and Emma giggled.

"All of it." Emma was the first one to speak, but both of my children grinned like Cheshire Cats, a type of smile they must've picked up from the sparkliest man in the room. Then, her eyes softened, "But the proposal was adorable." Now, her and Julian's smiles were genuine, "I hope when I get married, my husband does something like that." My lips tipped up at the corners just as Jace slid full plates in front of each of us. He grabbed my hands and squeezed them softly.

"You're Dad _is_ pretty awesome at that stuff." I admitted, meeting Jace's gaze with no doubt sappy eyes. Jace leaned over the counter to give me a quick peck on the lips, and for once, no one else gagged.

"We want to know the _real _story though." Surprisingly, it was Julian who said it, "We want to get the behind the scenes tour." I glanced at Jace, silently asking permission, and he nodded, flashing his teeth.

"This is gonna take a while." I warned, but everyone was leaning forward in interest.

"We have time." Alec smiled, "Even Magnus and I haven't heard this, so it'll be nice." At that moment, a knock sounded at the front, so I held up a finger in a _Hold on_ fashion. I opened the door to reveal none other than the rest of the group and my brothers.

"We heard it's story time?" Jordan phrased it as a question, and I rolled my eyes, not even knowing how Magnus, Alec, and my children had predicted this happening.

"Come on in." I sighed, and everybody moved to the living room, sitting in various spots, but all of them faced Jace and I at the front. We shared a look and two dopey smiles before he gestured for me to start.

"You tell it better." He teased, and I rolled my eyes, plunging in nonetheless.

"I sat in the limo as it drove down the lamp-lit road…"

* * *

**And so there it is. The end, but at the same time, the very beginning. Again, thank you all for everything you've done. This fan fiction has taken me through ups and downs in my life, and seeing each and every one of your reviews has brought happiness to my heart. Again, if you want to leave one last review, I would love that with all my heart and soul. You have been my light in the dark, and YOU ARE AMAZING. ALWAYS KNOW THAT, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO.**

**Signing off for the very last time (for this story),  
With so much love for you faithful followers that my heart could burst,**

**Shadowhunter5801**


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